Fallen Celestial
by serioushugsies
Summary: Betrayed and left for dead, Lucy swears vengeance against those who have wronged her. and using new powerful allies she will lay the faeries low. but destiny might have other plans for this fallen fairy than just her vengeance, war is coming, and sometimes to fight against evil you need something much, much darker than evil. (Lucy leaves Fairy Tail story, features OC's)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody, this is my first Fairy Tail fanfic and its one that I've been looking forward to writing for along time. hope you all enjoy this first chapter.**

Lucy smiled as she watched her guild mates continue to celebrate the return of Lisanna from Edolas and while Lucy didn't know her that well herself she was happy for Mirajane and Elfman. It had been almost a week since Lucy and the others had returned from the other world and the party showed no signs of slowing.

Surprisingly, however, Natsu had yet to show up at Fairy Tail today. He had been right beside everyone else last night, grinning from ear to ear and throwing a fiery punch at whomever pissed him off. Today on the other hand he was mysteriously absent.

"Eh, he probably just slept in." Lucy shrugged to herself as she walked over to the request board to find another job, her rent was coming up and she was short this month.

"Oh? Looking for a new job Lucy?" Erza asked as she walked over to the request board.

"Hi Erza, Ya I'm a little low on cash for rent this month so I thought I should take on a quick job." Lucy responded as she looked back to the request board. "The only problem is that Loke told me that apparently my celestial magic is going to be unstable for the next few days. Something about the "Dark Matter" or something being thicker than normal." Lucy said as patted her whip at her side. "But I figured with Fleuve d'étoiles here I could at least handle some simple monsters."

"Lucy, one should never underestimate their opponents, it is in those situations that fate can turn against you." Erza warned in her usual manner before smiling at Lucy. "But I suppose that I do feel in the mood for a mission, shall I get Gray and Natsu as well?"

"Really Erza? Thanks!" Lucy exclaimed as gave a quick hug to the older woman.

Erza smiled as she walked back into the mass of guildmates to look for Gray while Lucy walked over to the counter to let Mira know Team Natsu was taking the job. Shortly after Mira checked the request in Erza, Gray, and Happy approached together.

"So we're finally going out on another job huh?" Gray commented with his usual smirk. "Finally, I haven't gotten the chance to cut lose since we got back from Edolas."

"Aye!" happy agreed as he landed on Lucy's head and flopped down.

"Hey happy, what happened to Natsu today? I haven't seen him." Lucy asked the blue cat.

"Hmmm, he was at our house this morning but I haven't seen him since then." The blue cat mused as he put a paw to his chin. "I'm sure that he just went to buy some fish." He concluded.

Lucy facepalmed, "that's something only you would do Happy." She said sounding exhausted.

It was at that moment however that Natsu made his presence known. "H-hey guys." He muttered out in an uncharacteristically low voice.

Everyone turned to look at him with varying levels of concern on their faces. They had never seen the Salmon haired dragon slayer so low key and, gods forbid, nervous.

Happy flew over to Natsu's shoulder as he stared at his partner with concern on his face. "Natsu…?" he questioned tentatively. Natsu smiled down at Happy and patted his head but said nothing.

"Well, whatever, we're going out on a mission. Are you coming with us flame brain?" Gray asked in his normal challenging attitude.

"Yeah…sure." Natsu answered completely ignoring Gray's attempt to start something, only leading to more concern from Lucy and the others.

"Natsu, if you're not feeling well you can stay here." Erza said with entirely too much concern in her voice as she patted his untaken shoulder.

"Hey! What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Natsu yelled, regaining some of his normal cheer.

"Well maybe if you didn't come in here looking like a heartbroken teenage girl we wouldn't have to ask fire freak." Gray said as he walked past.

"What! Want to say that to my face Striper!" Natsu yelled in rage. The two were about to butt heads when Erza stepped between the two; and with a single glare ended their fight.

"Enough you two, we have a job to complete and I won't tolerate lollygagging." Erza declared in a low tone that left no room for discussion.

Lucy laughed at the usual antics of her team. _Guess it's just another normal day in Fairy Tail._

* * *

The train ride to the job site was uneventful as always. Natsu sat slumped against the back of the booth, while Erza ate her cake and Gray stared out the window.

"Now that I think about it, what exactly are we supposed to be dealing with?" Gray asked out of the blue as he turned to stare at Lucy.

"Ah, right, the request was to slay some demon creature that appeared recently. The request called it a "Hellhound"." Lucy explained, drawing the attention of Erza as well.

"Ohh? Sounds like quite the formidable beast." She said with a grin on her face, likely imagining the battle to come.

"Right! What about you Natsu? Are you "Fired up"?" Lucy said as she tried to make Natsu feel better.

But contrary to what she expected, Natsu did not reply and simply stared up at the ceiling with a strange look on his face. Lucy gave him a strange look at first but in the end simply decided that his motion sickness was worse today than normal.

Lucy jumped over a log as she sprinted after Natsu and Happy as she cursed under her breath. The person who had posted the job request told them of strange four legged animals that had been prowling the woods behind their town and that the creatures were unsually aggressive. The townsfolk feared that it was only a matter of time till someone got attacked and so they had sent out the requests for help. Team Natsu of course was happy to respond and entered the forest almost immediately after finishing talking with the mayor about where the beasts were located.

Unfortunately they encountered two problems. One was that a storm was moving through the area causing heavy rain and thunder to fall upon their heads. The other was that there were multiple of the strange creatures and that had forced their team to split up, Erza and Gray fighting off some while Natsu, Happy, and Lucy perused some that had run deeper into the forest.

The Hellhounds truly lived up to their namesake. They looked almost like wolves covered in scales with blood red eyes. Their appearance had been so terrifying that Lucy knew that if she had taken the job by herself as she had originally intended she would have likely failed.

"Happy, do you see where it went?" Natsu yelled out to the blue cat that was flying just over the tree line in order to avoid lighting strikes.

"Aye, it's just ahead Natsu! It's trapped against a cliff." Happy confirmed as he returned back down to their level.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Natsu yelled as fire gathered around his fists and as he jumped forward at the beast that had turned and snarled at him.

Natsu lunged at the creature, brining his fist down straight at the monsters head. The creature however appeared to be much more agile than anyone had anticipated and had jumped out of the way of Natus's fist. As Natsu landed the beast almost instantly lunged forward, intending to rip his throat out, but Lucy lashed out with her whip and managed to divert its attention.

The battle against the Hellhound continued for what felt like hours as the creature continued to move further south along the cliff before at long last Natsu managed to score a hit on its skull while Lucy had it tied down with her whip. The beast gave one last pained growl before slumping down in a heap and ceased moving.

"Ha…finally…ha." Lucy exclaimed as she slumped down on the ground and tried to catch her breath. Natsu remained standing but looked equally as tired with Happy spralled out on his head.

"Aye…" the blue cat said sounding just as tired as Lucy felt. It was at that moment that a explosion sounded off in the distance they had come from. All three arrived at the same conclusion that Erza and Gray were still likely locked in combat.

"Happy, would you mind going and seeing if Erza and the Pervert need any help?" Natsu asked, "We'll be right behind you as soon as Lucy is back up."

"Aye!" Happy responded as he unfurled his wings and took off into the rain.

For a moment the only sound left was the sound of the rain constantly pattering down and the occasional boom of thunder before Lucy finally stood back up.

"Thanks Natsu." She said with a smile

"What for?" the boy turned with a strange look on his face.

"Well…I could see that you weren't really that into coming on a job today and we're only here because of my rent again." Lucy responded sheepishly as she averted her gaze. "I just thought that I should thank you for your help.

A pained look passed over Natsu's face for a moment before turning away. "No it's not that, I just have something that I have to deal with…something that I am dreading" he trailed off as he stared off into the storm with one of the most contemplative faces Lucy had ever seen on his face.

Lucy instantly walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Well don't hesitate to confine in me, after all we're partners right?" she said with her smile growing even wider.

Natsu turned back to face her with a small smile on his face and placed his hand on hers. "Thank you…Luce."

Even through the rain, Lucy could feel her face heat up and quickly turned and started fallowing the cliff face back the way they came. "I-it's nothing, that's what friends are for. We'd better get back to the others now, by the sound of it looks like it's over after all." She stuttered out as she walked forward, the sound of Natsu's footsteps right behind her.

The two walked in silence for a while as the rain continued to fall. But as they reached a particularly dangerous part of the cliff Natsu finally spoke, but what he said only confused Lucy.

"Luce…I'm so sorry." He said in a voice that sounded on the verge of tears.

Lucy stopped in a panic and was about to turn around and ask what was so wrong when something impacted her back with such force she wasn't even able to cry out past the pain. Slowly, Lucy looked down to find something that she just couldn't understand.

Natsu's hand, covered in her blood and alight in flames had pierced straight through her stomach.

 _…Eh?_ Was all Lucy could think past the pain that seemed to be consuming her body from the inside out. The situation was so far outside what she could understand but when she tried to turn she only fell to her knees powerlessly. The Rain was louder than ever, sounding like a swarm of Locusts flying around her head.

Natsu's hand withdrew from her body, sending blood gushing down her legs and pooling below her. She could hear his pained breaths behind her but still she could not turn her head and look to him. she tried to scream out, she wanted to ask why he had attacked her, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a gurgling noise as she choked on her own blood.

"I-I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry Luce!" he screamed out from behind her but still he made no move to aid her.

Finally her knees gave way and she collapsed down the side of the cliff and as she fell the only thing that she could see was before darkness overtook her was Natsu starring down at her with a look of horror on his face.

* * *

The man's head jerked up as he felt the overwhelming power sweep into the room. It had been years since he had felt the presence of someone who was calling out to him with such desire and with such power. The power swept through his chambers like a wave, intoxicating him and drawing him to his feet. However, the power felt just as weak as it felt strong like the final death wail of an animal. _Well, well well, it appears that my new contractor is already in quite the bind._ The man thought to himself as he smiled and fixed his tie _. It appears that these coming years will be quite the joy._ He smiled the smile of a predator about to pounce as he swiped his hand across his chest. Within a second the shadows in the room gathered together before him, forming a swilling archway of darkness. The man quickly but confidently strolled forward into the inky darkness with anticipation that was barely contained. He could not wait to see the one who was worthy of his pact.

* * *

Lucy's consciousness remained hazy as she starred at the raging river before her. Her body screamed in agony after falling down the cliff face and her blood continued to pool under her but Lucy could do nothing but allow the tears to fall down her face. Despite the severity of her situation and the pain that her body was currently in her mind remained reletivly clear but was slowly sinking back into the darkness. In her mind she screamed out for her friends to find her, to save her, but she knew that it wasn't going to happen. After all it had been Natsu who had dealt the blow that was slowly but surely leading to her death.

 _Why?..Why Natsu?!_ She screamed in her head as the tears continued to fall. _You were my family, my comrade, why would you try to kill me!?_ But no matter how much she screamed in her head there were no answers for her, only the cold embrace of death.

Slowly, her panic, fear, and sorrow gave way to a new feeling: Anger. _I can't accept this! I can't die here at the hands of one I trusted with my life, at least not until I do the same._ The tears continued to fall as her face contorted in pain and rage. _Damn…damn it! I won't die Fairy Tail! Just you wait! I will have my revenge!_

"Oh my… I can see why your power felt so weak underneath your desire." A voice Lucy had never heard before sounded from somewhere behind her. "None the less, I cannot allow such a powerful pact bearer to die before me." The voice continued on in a tone that seemed to care nothing for the girl lying broken before them.

Lucy could hear the sound of footsteps as the man approached and stood directly in front of her. She did not have the strength to stare up into the man's face and could only see his shoes, which were immaculately white and polished to a shine even here in the middle of a forest.

The man stood for a moment in silence. "Tell me young lady, do you desire to live on? Do you desire your revenge against those who have wronged you? Even if the path ahead of you will leave you broken and worse off than you stand now?" the man questioned in a tone of voice like he was asking for directions.

Lucy struggled to turn her head up to see the man but her vision was beginning to blur. The only thing she could make out was the man's green eyes, staring down at her with a look of happiness. "…I…d…o" she struggled to say past the coughing and the blood and her head fell back down against the coldness of the rock as darkness began to creep into her vision.

The man was silent for a moment before letting out a light chuckle. "As expected from one who was able to call out to me." Lucy heard him speak as her consciousness continued to recede. "Very well then Lucy Heartfilia, henceforth our pact is bound. You shall have my power." And with his declaration Lucy finally succumbed to the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**thank you to everyone who reviewed, Favorited, or followed so far. cant say how much it means to me. enjoy chapter two**

 **Disclamer: i do not own Fairy Tail**

Lucy awoke to the site of a completely black sky, with not a single star in sight. She blinked in surprise a few times as she tried to reconstruct the memories of how she had ended up here. She remembered being on a train with the others, heading for a job that would give her the money for rent. The next thing that came to her was the storm and the monsters; their blood red eyes staring out of the darkness at her. She remembered the fight against the monsters, the Hellhounds as they had been called.

Lucy scrunched her brow in concentration as she tried to remember. And then all at once it came back to her. Trying to comfort Natsu, the trek back through the rain, Natsu's betrayal; and finally the man who appeared to offer her salvation.

Lucy shot up only to scream out in pain and fall back down, clutching her stomach as her body reprimanded her for the quick movements.

"You should not move so quickly, Milady, it is not wise for one as heavily wounded as you to move around much." A voice chuckled off to her side.

Lucy's head quickly turned to the source of the voice to find a man only a few years older than her tending to a fire, an arrogant smile upon his lips as he watched her. The man was dressed in a suit of almost pure white; from his shoes all the way up to his tie. The man's eyes were an almost emerald green and seemed to glow eerily in the darkness. His gaze, like his eyes, seemed to be piercing through Lucy like he could see every single thing that made her who she was. His hair was as black as the night that surrounded them and from what Lucy could see not a single strand was allowed to fall upon his face.

For a minute neither of them moved, Lucy stared blankly at the man while he simply returned the stare. But finally Lucy gave out a small yelp as she slowly rose to the point where she was sitting. Despite the protests of her body Lucy couldn't afford to be lying down with a man she didn't know so close.

"Who are you? What have you done to me?" Lucy growled as she reached for the keys at her side.

The man chuckled once again as he stepped back from the fire and stood with his back ramrod straight. "Now, now, is that any way to speak to someone who has just saved your life?" the man questioned smugly as he pointed down to Lucy's stomach.

It was at that point that Lucy remembered just how close she had come to death. She quickly looked down at herself and was shock by what she saw. The hole that Natsu had made was completely gone. In its place a large circle shaped scar had taken its place. The scar was large and jagged and had what almost looked like veins coming out of it and traveling across her skin. Lucy took a sharp breath as she gingerly passed a hand over it, confirming for herself that it was real.

Sorrow nearly overtook Lucy at that moment as she realized that everything that had happened had not been a dream, that it was all real and that her family had betrayed her. But just when she could feel the tears beginning to form in her eyes the feeling was swept away from her consciousness, almost as if it was blocked from happening.

Lucy blinked at the strange feeling of her sorrow fading and turned her head back up to stare at the man. The man stared at her with the same smug smile that he had on from the moment Lucy saw him and once again returned to tending to the fire.

"T-thank you for saving me." Lucy finally said as she inched closer to the flames, hoping to keep the chill of the night air from affecting her too much.

"Ah you need not thank me; it is only natural for one such as me to do anything in their power to protect the one they had formed a pact with." The man explained, never taking his eyes off the flames as he poked a log farther into the flames.

Lucy starred at the man as she tried to process what he had just said. "A pact? What exactly are you talking about?" Lucy she questioned.

The man finally seemed to realize that she knew nothing of the situation and laughed loudly. "Ah forgive me Milady; I had forgotten how pressed for time our first encounter was. I am known as Abaddon, the Lord of Pride, and in your world I suppose I would be known as a demon." The man said as he gave a bow. "Your desire for revenge and your power summoned me to your side upon your death bed and when you agreed to a pact with me I used my power to patch you up." Abaddon explained.

Lucy stared down at her clenched fists as Abaddon explained. She wanted to shout out so many questions that her head was spinning but she slowly took a breath and stared back up at Abaddon. "You're a demon you say? And I somehow was able to make a Pact with you? Is that some kind of magic or something?"

"Indeed it is, a pact is a form of summoning magic quite similar to your own celestial magic. When using pact magic one creates a bond with a demon who may then be summoned to the casters side at any point in time. Under normal circumstances one would only be able to summon one of my lesser demons to their side with their first pact but your desire was so strong and you're magic so powerful you were able to call out to me; one of the Seven Lords of Sin." Abaddon continued to explain, "You should be proud of yourself Milady, there are many who would give up anything and everything to be able to call upon one such as myself. All it took for you was to have a simple run in with death."

Lucy simply nodded to Abaddon's arrogant comments as she tried to process everything. "Ok… so you're a demon and I have the power to summon you, great, but that doesn't explain where we are or how you were able to save me." Lucy asked as she tried to keep her worry out of her voice.

"Ah indeed, and quite the job of saving you I have done if I might add." Abaddon gloated as he approached Lucy and fell down on a knee to look her straight in the eye, his smile finally faltering. "To be honest with you Milady Lucy, by the time I had appeared before you it was already too late to save you from the injuries you had sustained. Your back had been crippled by the fall and you had lost far too much blood for me to have any impact." He explained as Lucy's eyes grew wider and wider.

"W-wait a minute! Are you saying I'm dead!" she screamed out as her hand inadvertently went down to cover her scar.

"Well; yes and no." Abaddon said with a shrug. "Rather than dead I would say that you have been "Stopped"." Lucy was about to ask what he meant when he raised a hand to stop her. "it would be far faster if you would simply experience it for yourself. Place your hand over your heart and you'll understand he said as he stood and moved a few feet back.

Lucy hesitated for a moment before gingerly placing her right hand over her chest, hoping to feel what she could feel every other day of her life. However there was no telltale beat of her heart, no matter how long she kept her hand over her chest.

Lucy felt her eyes go wide as panic threatened to overwhelm her when Abaddon spoke up. "You need not fear, what I did to you was simply stop your time upon the final beat of your heart. Your body became linked with mine the moment you agreed to the pact and using my powers I was able to repair the damage that was done to you; however I have no ability to return the dead to life. As such I used my power to simply stop your heart. So long as it does not beat again you will "Live" so to speak."

"So your saying I'm somewhere in between dead and alive?" Lucy questioned slowly as if afraid of the answer.

"An apt way of describing it. Indeed you are not quite living nor are you a corpse." Abaddon said with yet another laugh. "However you need not be worried about it, we will simply have to replace your dying heart with a new one." At Lucy's shocked look Abaddon couldn't help but let out another chuckle. "Did you think that your heart would never beat again? Once you become more powerful we will be able to create a new life for you. As it stands now you will simply die if we attempt not worry however; it is not all bad news to not have a beating heart. So long as your heart does not beat again you're body will not be able to age and it will be quite difficult for you to bleed out seeing as your blood is no longer moving throughout your body.""

"As far as your first question I can answer that one with much more ease. We are currently outside a small trading town outside the Domain of Wrath." Abaddon then spread his arms wide into the air as he stared down at the very confused Lucy. "Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the world of Underworld."

Lucy sighed and rubbed her temple, _why does every magical being I seem to come across have such eccentric personalities?_ She asked to herself before finally noticing what he had actually been talking about. "Wait I'm in another world again? Is this place like Edolas then?"

"I must say I am quite disappointed with your reaction but you are correct; Underworld is indeed a very similar world to the one you speak of and the one we just came from." Abaddon continued, "With how weak your body had become and with the fact that I require your magic energy to remain manifested in your world I decided it would be simpler to bring you to mine."

Lucy was quiet as she absorbed what Abaddon was saying. "…In other words you're able to move between world at will?" she asked her voice low and with an edge to it.

Abaddon raised his eyebrows at her change in demeanor, but answered anyway. "Indeed, there is no realm that is not open to the Lord of Pride."

Lucy jumped up at that, despite the pain she felt in her chest, and stared daggers that the demon. "In that case take me back to Fairy Tail right now! Natsu and those of my guild who side with him have to suffer for what he did to me!" she practically screamed

Abaddon stared at Lucy for a moment before sighing loudly and shaking his head in an exaggerated manner. "I'm afraid that would be quite impossible for you Milady. You do not have the strength to confront them."

Lucy clenched her fist as Abaddon refused. "Then I will simply borrow your power and the power of my spirits."

"As I said before you do not have the power to keep me manifested in Earthland for more than a few seconds before your untimely death. And besides…" Abaddon said as he trailed off and stared intently at Lucy.

Lucy was about to scream out when all of the sudden Abaddon was standing directly in front of her, his hand pointed at her eye and his fingers mere inches away from her face. Lucy couldn't believe it. In an instant he had moved from his place on the other side of the campfire to right in front of her without her even noticing, he hadn't even made a sound.

"You are far too weak to survive in a fight against anyone with any real power." Abaddon mercilessly declared in a voice much lower than the one he had used previously.

Lucy's legs gave out and she slumped powerlessly down before the man. As much as she hated to admit it as she was now she would have no chance of defeating Natsu and those who would stand alongside him, her revenge would be impossible to obtain.

"Then what exactly am I supposed to do?!" she screamed out as she clenched her hands to her chest and tears leaked from her eyes.

"Ah that is quite simple actually." Abaddon declared with cheer returning to his tone. "You will simply have to make pacts with the other Lords of Sin."

Lucy's eyes once again shot up to the white suited man in surprise at his statement. "Make pacts with them all? Would that even be possible?" she asked as if he were trying to sell her a suspicions lacrima.

"Of course it would be, I would not bother bringing you to a land as filthy as the Domain of Wrath otherwise." Abaddon declared, his voice sounding almost hurt. "Milady Lucy, I don't think you quite understand what it means for you to make a pact with me on your first try. I have not been bound in a pact in the last twenty thousand years and it is almost the same for the other Lords. The fact that you are capable of such a feat would be as tempting to the Lords as the most delicious wine. They will test you of course but I have no doubt that you shall succeed in any trail they throw your way. Then, after obtaining the power of every corner of the Underworld you will have no issue in dealing with those who had betrayed you or any other being for that matter."

Lucy went silent as she contemplated his words. _It's true that as I am now I have no hope of beating Natsu, and even with his power I doubt we could defeat Master who would undoubtedly come to Natsu's aid. That's not even counting the rest of Team Natsu and the rest._

"You're certain that with the help of these other "Lords" I will be strong enough?"

"Of course, I can guarantee it." Abaddon said as he moved back to the fire and proceeded to poke at it. "Now then the night is still young and we have quite the long day ahead of us, I suggest you sleep while you can." Abaddon said without turning his head to look at her.

Lucy grumbled to herself for a moment before laying her head back down and staring up at the completely black sky. _I guess this is my life now…_ she thought to herself as she couldn't help but recall the apartment she had been sleeping soundly in just a day ago. Unfortunately her thoughts instantly turned to her family, or perhaps it would be better to call them her former family at this point. Thoughts of Levy and the others filtered through her brain as she tried desperately to keep herself from breaking down entirely. But in the end she couldn't help herself when her thoughts finally turned to the salmon haired dragon slayer and his stupidly large grin. _Natsu…I don't understand…why?_ She thought as she turned her back on the flames of the campfire and let the peace of sleep overcome her.

* * *

Abaddon watched as his new charge slipped into the land of dreams before sighing exhaustedly and snapping his fingers. A second later his shadow seemed to quiver as a creature comprised entirely of darkness emerged. The creature had no defined shape other than its glowing yellow eyes that stared at Abaddon as it awaited its orders.

"You are to return to Earthland and watch these so called "Fairy Tail" mages. Find all the information you can about them and keep them under surveillance. If any major events take place report to me immediately." He commanded in a voice entirely different than the one he used to speak to Lucy.

The creature did not respond, as it had no mouth with which to, and slithered back into Abaddon's shadow and vanished without a trace.

Abaddon sighed again as his eyes wandered back to the flames before him. He had not been entirely truthful when speaking about the condition or recovery of Lucy's heart. Her heart and mind had been so badly damaged by her comrade's betrayal that it would be almost impossible for her to recover, even with demons magic. In all honesty Abaddon was shocked that she had regained consciousness so soon. He had assumed that she would be out all the way until reaching the palace of Wrath.

 _Well at least my new contractor has spunk to her, shell at least keep me from felling bored for awhile more._ _But at the same time I can't help but wonder why she was even in that situation. From her memories this Natsu character cares immensely for his guild mates; referring to them as his family. But even still he was willing to betray and stab her in the back._

Abaddon had been shocked when he first manifested himself in Earthland. The last time a human had been able to form a pact with him had been so long ago and the person who had been capable of it was an elderly man who had spent his entire life devoted to the demons of pride. Lucy on the other had had simply been a dying girl with Celestial spirit contracts and a strong desire to live. Sure, her desire for revenge had been a factor in Abaddon's presence as well but no human could call out to a Lord like she did. There was something about Lucy that allowed her to call out to one such as himself and it appeared that someone back in Earthland wasn't quite the fan of her gift.

Abaddon's eyes once again returned back to the young celestial mage and noticed that she had indeed fallen back to sleep but appeared to be suffering from a nightmare of much worse proportions than Abaddon could allow.

Abaddon quickly used the magical link that their pact provided them to infiltrate her mind and wiped the nightmare from her mind. He was not capable of replacing it with any dream a human would prefer but he was certain that Lucy would rather not dream at all than recall what had happened to her.

"Sleep well, Lucy Hearfilia, for soon sleep will be the only recourse you have to escape from reality." He said to himself as his cruel smile once again returned to his lips.

 **And that's chapter two people. next time look forward to seeing why Natsu did what he did and how the guild reacts to the loss of Lucy**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here we go with part three! enjoy!**

 **Disclamer: i do not own Fairy Tail**

Makarov stared out the window of his office and watched the rain fall in silent contemplation. Today was a day that he had been dreading for the last week; a day when he would be forced to say his final farewells to one of his children.

Team Natsu had returned to the guild earlier that week in a frenzy. The job they had gone on had gone horribly wrong and Lucy was currently missing. The entire guild had deployed to search the woods where she had gone missing; Makarov even went so far as to plead with the Magic Counsel for their aid. But no matter how hard they searched or what magic they employed they were only able to find a patch of dried blood upon the rock next to the river in the canyon.

Fairy Tail had been devastated and the guild had lost any sign of its normal cheer. The members moved like zombies as they drifted across the guild and no matter what time it was one could hear the sound of quite sobs coming from somewhere in the shadows. Natsu's team had been particularly devastated. Gray and Erza simply sat at the bar with haunted looks upon their faces or covered in tears. Happy sitting lifelessly upon the bar in between them, his face constantly covered in tears and Carla comforting him with tears in the corner of her own eyes as well.

It broke Makarov's heart to see his children so heartbroken but he had to keep it together as their father, even if his own chest felt like it would split open any second. His Children needed him to be strong and the guild still needed its master, even in the throngs of their grief.

It was at that moment that a gentle rapping came from the outside of my office door. "Master? It is almost time…" came the solemn voice of Mirajane from outside. Makarov slid off my chair and placed the Ten Wizard Saints robe upon his back. He always hated the robe for the times he was forced to wear it would inevitably end in his children's misery.

He opened to door to find a dejected Mirajane standing off to the side of his office. She had already changed into a black dress and held in her hands two black umbrellas.

"Thank you my dear." He said as took one of the two umbrellas she held and gave her a half smile hoping to put her at ease.

"You're welcome master." She responded with a half smile of her own but that quickly left her face as she frowned and lowered her head. "…I can't believe that she's really gone." She said in such a low voice he almost didn't hear it.

Makarov said nothing as he slowly walked forward and down the stairs to the first floor to see his children waiting for him. Everyone dressed in black and with their eyes downcast. Makarov kept his face as neutral as he could as he walked down the stairs and to the door of the guild before turning around and addressing all present. "Let us go my children, it is time to say goodbye to one of our family."

The entirely of Fairy Tail followed Makarov into the rain as they slowly made their way to Kardia Cathedral. The downpour continued to assault them as they slowly made their way through town. They all were aware that the rain was likely do to Juvia losing control of her power but not a single person blamed her for it. If anything it the rain embodied the feelings that they all held at that moment. the entirety of Fairy Tail entered the graveyard surrounding the Cathedral in silence and slowly made their way to a single gravestone. The gravestone was adorned with carvings of stars along both its sides leading to the top where the guilds emblem was imprinted. Directly below that were a few words that caused pain to everyone present. "Lucy Heartfilia. Friend, Family, Fairy. She will be sorely missed."

Makarov could hear the sobs from his children as they stood silent in front of Lucy's grave. He knew what he had to do as the Guild Master as well as their father but a part of him still couldn't accept what he was about to do.

Makarov slowly turned back to face his children, staring at each crying face for a moment before finally speaking. "My children, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of one of our family; Lucy Heartfilia. She may have only been a part of our family for a short time but in that time she came to hold a special place in all our hearts. She was someone who always brought a smile to our faces and was always able to see the positives in life."

Makarov paused as he tried to keep the tears from his face and his voice from cracking. "She was a star in our sea of light and she will be sorely missed. Where ever you are Lucy my dear I hope you are as happy as you were in our family. You shall never be forgotten." Makarov's tears finally fell freely as he finished and that seemed to be the only thing holding back his children from losing control of their own sobs.

Makarov could see Levy break down and fall to her knees as she cried into her hands. Gajeel kneeled down beside her with a hand on her shoulder and a grim visage on his face as she turned and cried into his shoulder. The Strauss siblings were hugging each other as they each cried out, even Lisanna who had barely know Lucy was crying loudly into her sisters arms.

Both Erza and Gray stood in front of Lucy's grave with their heads down and their hands clenched. Neither cried out but booth had large steams of tears pouring down their faces. Wendy and Carla were embracing on the ground as well as they cried out through their tears.

Makarov moved off to the side to allow his children to each get a chance to say their words and pay their respect to their lost family. It was then that he noticed Natsu and Happy, standing much farther away than any other member of our family. Natsu had the same haunted look on that he had since his partners passing and Happy was clinging to his head crying loudly. Makarov was truly worried for the boy, he was taking Lucy's passing much harder than he had taken Lisannas and according to Happy had barely eaten or slept since losing her.

Makarov was about to call out to the boy but he suddenly turned and sprinted away from the Cathedral with Happy right on his heels. He thought about going to bring him back but shook the thought from his head. they all had their own ways of dealing with death and so long as he did not run from her passing forever Makarov saw no reason to stop him here and now. He simply looked up into the sky and allowed the rain to fall upon his face. "Goodbye my child, I truly do hope you are finally at peace."

* * *

Natsu stumbled through Magnolia with shaky steps and no real destination in mind. Happy had followed after him as he ran from the funeral but at his request his partner had returned to the others to give Natsu some space. Natsu shivered as the rain soaked him to his core, making his arms shiver from the cold. It was strange; he had never been bothered by the rain before but for some reason it felt like the rain was trying to smother him.

"…that's a lie; I know exactly why it chills me. I just can't face it." He said to himself in a broken voice. Natsu had barely slept since he had killed Lucy, as every time he closed his eyes he would see his hand going through her back and the look of confusion and horror as she fell down the cliff. Just thinking about what he had done caused a wave of nausea to overcome him and he quickly sprinted down into an alley as he started to cough heavily.

When the coughing fit finally subsided he stared up blankly and realized that he was within a block of Lucy's apartment. He hesitated for a moment before slowly climbing up into her room. The lights were off and with the storm outside everything was shrouded in darkness but that was fine with Natsu, he himself was responsible for the fact that no light would ever be shining in this room again and that was something that he could not change.

Natsu slumped down by the foot of his bed as he picked up on Lucy's smell and his tears once again started to freely fall. _Lucy…why…why did Dad want me to do that to you!_ He screamed inside as the maelstrom of emotions ate away at him. Slowly but surely, Natsu drew the letter he had received that faithful day of the mission, the Letter that had brought him to this situation.

 _Natsu my child; if you're reading this letter than I am no longer able to stay by your side. I'm sure that you have many questions about why you're receiving this letter but unfortunately I cannot answer your questions at this time; it is too early to let you know. I have written this letter the day that I left you alone and prepared this note to arrive to you much later in life. There is something I must ask you to do my boy, even though I know it will cause you great pain. My son; I must ask you to kill a mage by the name of Lucy Hearfilia. You may or may not know her; it is difficult for me to see that far ahead. She is a Celestial spirit mage who will one day bring down calamity on the world, and she must be destroyed before she can do so. I do not wish to place this burden upon you my son but it must be done and I cannot do so myself. I know you will not let me down Natsu. Your father, Igneel._

Natsu's hand shook as he read the letter again and again. Normally he would have dismissed the letter in anger, assuming it was a trick from a dark guild or something similar Natsu would have normally gone and destroyed anyone who would have tried to impersonate his Dad. But this note had one thing that no person could fake and one thing that Natsu would never be able to not recognize. This letter smelled exactly like his missing father.

 _Dad…Why? Why did Lucy have to die!?_ Natsu screamed in his head but of course there were no answers for him, only more questions. A swarm of images assaulted Natsu at that moment, images of Lucy smiling, crying, and fighting flashed though his head with a speed that caused Natsu to begin felling dizzy and collapsed onto the floor, his tears still falling freely.

Over time, the images began to slow their stampede through his mind and Natsu could finally sit up and lean his back against the wall and stare lifelessly up at Lucy's ceiling. _Lucy…I know that what I have done to you is unforgivable so I won't bother asking for it. But I can promise you this; I will find my dad and discover the truth of why you had to die. And if his reason isn't good enough…then I promise I will take revenge on him, even if it means my own death._ Natsu swore to himself as he took one last breath of Lucy's scent from the room, pausing just long enough to enjoy the scent of strawberries that he had always associated with her, and jumped out through the window he had first entered from.

What Natsu failed to notice in his grief however was that there was a particularly dark shadow coming from the side of Lucy's desk, a shadow that quickly slithered out the window after him.

 **I'm sorry that its a little shorter than my last chapters but i don't really want to focus too much on whats going on with Fairy Tail. this is a story mostly about Lucy after all. thanks again to everyone who reviewed, Favorited, or followed so far. stay tuned for more of Lucy's journey.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Time for part four and the introduction of a new character! hope you all enjoy!**

Lucy awoke just as suddenly as she had to previous night. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she grumbled as she slowly sat up to find Abaddon, staring down at her with the same arrogant smile on his face that he had worn last night.

"Good morning, Milady, I trust your sleep was uneventful?" he asked with a tone that was obviously full of fake concern.

"I guess so," Lucy groggily replied "I think I had a dream but I can't remember anything about it…" she trailed off as she tried to recall the dream she had but in the end all she could remember was a series of blurred images.

Abaddon's smile seemed to falter for a second before returning right back to its original size. "I see, regardless I have prepared breakfast for you while you slept. I will accept your thanks as gracefully as possible." He said as he walked to Lucy's right.

"Thanks I think… but do you think you could tone it down with th-"Lucy started until she choked on her words when she saw what exactly Abaddon had prepared.

Hung just over the same fire from the previous night was an enormous boar that easily dwarfed Lucy. The creature had Tusks that looked like a white rose stem and was covered in strange bristles that made it look almost like a porcupine.

"W-what in god's name is that thing?!" Lucy screamed as she jumped to her feet and pointed hysterically at the beast.

"Its breakfast of course," Abaddon answered instantly as if it were an obvious answer and walked over and with a swipe of his hand sliced a piece of the creatures side off and walked back over to Lucy. "Now then I would suggest eating up, we have quite a bit of walking ahead of us today and it would not do well to do so on an empty stomach."

Lucy stared down in disgust at the piece of meat that Abaddon was holding out for her the meat was almost entirely black and rather than being burnt it looked more like that was simply the normal color of the meat. It also had a smell that Lucy couldn't really describe but one that made her instinctively not want to eat it.

Lucy would have walked away right then if not for Abaddon smiling down at her with such pressure that for a second Lucy thought Erza was standing behind him. Gingerly taking it from his hand, Lucy sniffed it once before finally deciding to bite the bullet and take a bite.

However, contrary to all her senses telling her how horrible it would be, the meat was actually quite good. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise as she continued to eat bite after bite, her stomach growing loudly showing how hungry she really was.

Abaddon chuckled at her lack of manners as he took a respectful step back. "I would advise that you do not underestimate the cooking skills of the Lord of Pride, I could make the most disgusting of foods fit for kings with these hands of mine."

"I don't doubt it," Lucy said in between bites. As she continued her meal she looked up and finally got the chance to see their surroundings in proper light. The place where they made camp appeared to be an almost entirely flat piece of black land, almost as if a great fire had passed through here recently and reduced all life to ashes. Off in the distance, Lucy could barely make out what appeared to be the remains of burned trees but other than that there was nothing but black as far as the eye could see.

"So where exactly are we?" Lucy asked as she Held out her hand and Abaddon gave her another helping of boar.

"We are about one week south of the Capital of the Domain of Wrath." Abaddon explained as he then launched into an explanation of the world while occasionally handing Lucy another piece of meat whenever gestured for one. He explained that Underworld was an expansive world governed by entities beyond human comprehension. The continent they currently were on was ruled over by the Seven Lords of sin, who ruled over the lower part of the continent, while the Dragons ruled over the northern mountains.

"Wait! There are dragons here?" Lucy asked as she almost choked on the food.

"Indeed, in fact it is more accurate to say that this is the homeland of the dragons and that once upon a time the dragons ventured into Earthland." He explained with a wave of his hand. "However when the Bifrost collapsed and the magic of Earthland began to thin out they were all forced to return to Underworld."

"Bifrost?" Lucy questioned at the unfamiliar term.

"Do not worry; I shall explain it in good time." Abaddon continued. He then went on to explain that the continent to the west was controlled by a group known as the Five Divinities. They were beings that were opposed to the Lords of sin to the point that passage between the two continents was strictly regulated, to the point that only dragons were ever allowed to pass and even they were allowed rarely.

"Now then, while I'm sure that you would love to continue our geography lesson it's high time that we begin to move, it would not be wise to keep the Lord of Wrath waiting for too long." And with that Abaddon turned and began walking away from the remains of the boar and the fire without a care. Lucy hesitated for a moment as she checked herself for her keys and whip before quickly following after him, her body protesting slightly as she was still sore from her wounds.

They walked in silence for a while, Abaddon leading the way and Lucy curiously looking around at their surroundings. Eventually Abaddon returned to his explanation. He went on to talk of past of Underworld, which was apparently full of violence. He spoke of how he had lead armies of his followers against any who would dare challenge him, against demon, dragon, and divinity alike.

"However, the wars began to sap the population our world till the point that we could no longer sustain ourselves." Abaddon explained. "As such I, the other Lords of Sin, the Dragons, and the Divinities move a spell to connect our world with the many that exist out in creation. The Spell was known as the Bifrost. The spell allowed the Dragons to move between our world and any that they wished while for us Demons and Divinities became able to make pacts with humans from other worlds and at the end of those pacts bring the souls of those humans back to our world. From those souls we were able to bring new life back to our world."

"So there are humans in this world and they are descendants from those originally brought to this world through pacts?" Lucy as she stepped over a charred boulder that had been on the path.

"Correct again Milady Lucy, the souls we gathered from other worlds were broken down into new life and from there our population began to recover. "Abaddon answered as he turned and offered a hand to Lucy.

Lucy froze at Abaddon's answer. "Does that mean that when my life is over you will do the same to my soul?" Lucy asked trying to keep the fear from her voice.

Abaddon blinked in surprise a few times before answering, "While it certainly is a possibility the pacts I had motioned happened far in past, we no longer have a need to dissolve souls. Besides," he said as he poked her in the ribs, "if it means getting your revenge on this Natsu character would it even matter to you if your soul faces oblivion?"

At his mention of the pink haired dragon slayer Lucy felt as though her heart had been plunged into a bucket of icy water. Her face twisted into a scowl as she glared at Abaddon. "If it's for my revenge I would give up everything and anything, even an afterlife." She said in a voice so low that it surprised even her.

Abaddon nodded his head, seemingly pleased with her response. "I see…do not worry your pretty little head about it though, Milady, I personally have no interest in your soul or anything else in your possession. My payment shall be in a different form." He explained as he once again took the lead.

Lucy tried asking what he would ask for in payment but Abaddon simply shook his head and refused to answer. The two walked in silence for a while when Lucy finally realized something was up with her keys. _Now that I think about it, from the time that Natsu stabbed me till now I haven't seen Loke or any of my spirits. Normally if I was in that much danger Loke would have just forced his way out using his own magic if he had to. But besides for the noise of them jingling by my hip I haven't felt or heard anything from the keys, did something happen is it because of that "Dark matter" Loke mentioned?_

Lucy was about to open the gate of the Lion when off in the distance a plume of smoke seemed to explode out of the ground and a second later a low booming sound echoed across the plain.

"What the hell was that?" Lucy questioned with only a slight amount of panic in her voice.

"Hmmm…from what I can see it appears to be two ruffians chasing a small cloaked person." Abaddon said as he leaned forward slightly and placed his hand over his eyes pretending as if he was struggling to see the people even though he had answered instantly and had seen them from such a long distance.

Lucy sighed and smacked Abaddon on the back of his head. "Could you try to take this seriously?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Of course I could, Milady, but would that be nearly as interesting?" Abaddon asked with his trademarked arrogant smile.

Lucy fought of another sigh as she turned back to the plume of smoke. "Whatever, we need to go help that person!" she commanded as she started to run forward despite her body crying out in pain.

"May I ask why Milady? Their plight has no consequence to us." Abaddon asked as he easily kept pace with her

Lucy turned and gave the demon an incredulous look, "Do we need a reason to help someone in trouble?"

Abaddon blinked in surprise at her answer before moving slightly behind her. "I suppose not, but if you truly want to aid this person we will have to arrive slightly faster than your pace would allow. So if you'll excuse me Milady."

Lucy was about to ask what he meant by asking to be excused when Abaddon's hands snaked their way around her back and legs and she was lifted into his chest in a princess style hold. Lucy gave a yelp and could feel her face begin to heat up as Abaddon smiled down at her.

"Well then, I suggest you hold on tight Milady." he said and suddenly the world blurred around them.

Lucy would have screamed out in surprise but the wind pressure robbed her throat of air and she was forced to grab onto Abaddon's jacket as the air buffeted her. As she struggled to keep her eyes open she could just barely make out the fact that Abaddon was simply kicking off the ground periodically to make them accelerate to such an insane speed, and for the first time Lucy fully understood what an insane thing it was to have a pact with a Lord of Sin.

While it felt much longer to Lucy, the wind abruptly ended and Lucy could no longer feel the acceleration tugging at her body. She looked around to see two men who looked almost stereotypically like thugs staring slacked jawed at Lucy and Abaddon. One of the men held a simple looking sword in one hand and a mace in the other. The other man held what appeared to be a long pole with a hoop on the end that crackled with electricity.

The third person had their face covered by the hood but Lucy could see their bright red eyes darting between the thugs and her and Abaddon with clear wariness and fear in their eyes. Their shoulder was bleeding slightly and from the blood on the man's sword it was clear from what reason she was wounded. They were low to the ground and had their back arched like a cat being threatened.

"Well, Milady, we have arrived." Abaddon pointlessly declared as he placed Lucy back on the ground and took a step back.

"Oy! Who the hell are you pricks!" the man with the sword growled as he stepped closer.

"Ah of course, Milady here is Miss Lucy Heartfilia, and while I'm disappointed you do not recognize my great visage I am Ab-"

"Were simple travelers," Lucy said as she cut off Abaddon's speech, something he looked quite annoyed by but said nothing about. "But we couldn't ignore what's going on here. Why are you after that person?" Lucy questioned as she gestured to the cloaked person.

The man with the pole sneered as he too stepped closer to them, "it's our prey of course, were gonna fetch a pretty penny for this little one." His explanation earning him a laugh from the other man.

"Ah, I see, you are slave traders then." Abaddon concluded with a frown upon his face.

"Slaves?!" Lucy exclaimed as her eyes darted between the two thugs, Abaddon, and the person on the ground.

"Indeed, in the land of Wrath the only true rule is that the strong rule and the weak serve. As such I practice of slave trading is almost encouraged." Abaddon explained.

"It's as pretty boy there says lass, and if ya don't want to end up a bloody mess on the ground I suggest you beat it." The man with the sword growled as he took another step closer. "After all this is these monsters fate." He spat out as he looked down with contempt at the hooded person.

Lucy felt her stomach turn cold at the mention of fate, thinking back to her own _fate_ at the hands of someone she thought was her best friend. She quickly drew Loke's key from the ring at her side and glared fiercely at the two men. "I would NEVER abandon someone to their fate…if you want your "slave" you're going to have to go through me first." She said in a voice so low and threatening that it surprised even her.

The two men looked at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Have it your way then blondie, we'll just go through you then." Then man with the sword declared as he started to run forward, his blade at the ready.

Lucy would give him no chance to attack; she quickly swiped the key across her chest. "Open, Gate of Lion Leo." She shouted with a smirk on her face.

…but nothing happened, there was no flash of golden light nor did Loke show up spouting some cocky line like he always did. Lucy stared wide eyed at her key while the man with the sword looked around for any sign of what Lucy had done.

"Ah…I forgot to mention something, Milady." Abaddon chimed in from behind her, "Unfortunately, none of your Celestial spirit summoning magic will work in this world." He declared in the same tone of voice as one would use when discussing the weather.

Lucy wiped her head around and stared wide eyed at Abaddon, "Don't you think you could have mentioned that BEFORE I started to fight?!" Lucy screamed at him to which he mearly shrugged.

"In all fairness, you never did ask." He said in an almost bored tone of voice.

"Ha, don't know what you two are mumbling about but if ya don't have any magic you don't have a chance in hell blondie." The man sneered as he finished running up to her.

Lucy cursed under her breath, trying to jump backwards and tried to pull Fleuve d'étoiles from her waist. She was going to have a looonnngg chat with Abaddon after this but first she had to make sure she wasn't going to get cut in half.

Unfortunately, the moment she went for her whip an immense amount of pain shot up from her stomach wound and she hunched over in pain, an opportunity the thug was not going to miss. Kicking her in the chest and sending Lucy flying backwards and onto the ground, the man moved to stand over her with a victorious sneer on his face.

"All that talk and no bite? You must be some richie's little daughter who thought you could be a hero." He chuckled as he lifted his sword into the air, "To bad blondie." and brought the sword down.

Lucy shut her eyes, afraid to see the blow land, but after a moment on nothing she slowly opened her eyes to see what had happened. Between her and the thug stood Abaddon, a half smile upon his face, with a single hand upon the mans sword. He had caught the blade mid swing with a single hand.

"After meeting a new pact holder after so long I would be quite upset if you sent her to her end now, especially after I put in the effort to save her life." He said in a tone that did not match up to the smile upon his lips.

The man seemed to be struggling to retrieve the sword from Abaddon's grip but Lucy couldn't even see the sword twitch. The man stared at Abaddon with panic clear in his eyes. "W-who the hell are you?" he screamed in panic as his partner took a step back.

Rather than answering, Abaddon merely swiped his hand straight out, yanking the blade from the man and breaking the bones in his arms with a sickening cracking noise. The man screamed in panic and pain as he fell to his knees. His screams were cut mercifully short when Abaddon simply smacked him across the face, causing the man to fly through the air with his head twisted almost the entire way around. The man seemed to hover in the air for a moment before landing on the ground a few feet away.

The other man yelped in panic and dropped his pole and turned to run. Abaddon did not give him the chance however, Abaddon simply raised his hand and pointed at the man and his shadow shot like a spear at the man; hitting him square in the head and ending his life.

Abaddon turned and held out a hand to Lucy. "Well then Milady, I think that's enough of a break for you." He said with the same tone of voice he always used.

"Thanks Abaddon, "Lucy said sheepishly as she took his hand and was helped to her feet. Lucy looked to the cloaked person; who was still low to the ground and faced Lucy and Abaddon with the same wariness as they did to the two slave traders.

Lucy smiled as she slowly walked towards the person slowly but surely.

"Milady…" Abaddon warned but Lucy simply waved him away. Lucy continued to slowly walk forward while the person moved a few steps back.

"Don't worry I won't hurt you." Lucy said as she smiled at the person as she finished walking up to them and sat down just in front of them. My names Lucy, would you mind telling me yours?"

At first the person said nothing; they simply stared at Lucy with their ruby red eyes. But after a moment they finally spoke. "…I don't have one." The voice of a young girl sounded out from inside the hood.

"Eh? No name?" Lucy said in a shocked voice as she turned back to face Abaddon, who simply shrugged in response.

"Considering her wariness of us and the fact that the slave traders came out so far to retrieve her it's likely she lived her entire life in captivity." Abaddon explained as he remained respectively back.

"I see…then I guess ill have to name you." Lucy said as she placed a figure on her chin in thought.

"…Eh?" Came a surprised voice from inside the hood.

"Don't worry! I'm a writer so I'm sure that I can come up with a good name for you." Lucy exclaimed as she continued to ponder. _Let's see, what would be a good name for someone who just gained freedom._ Lucy thought to herself for a moment before remembering a story that her mother had read to her once in her childhood. It was a story about a young princess who escaped from the clutches of her overbearing parents and spent her life in the company of the woodland creatures. Eventually the princess was given new life as a fairy by the spirit of the forest. _Now what was the Princesses name again?...ah right it I remember!_

"How about the name Alva?" Lucy asked as she smiled at the girl.

"Alva…Alva." The girl muttered in a dazed voice, "…thank you…" she said in a cutely bashful voice.

"You're quite welcome!" Lucy happily responded, "Hey, if it's all right with you, would you mind showing me your face?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before hooking a hand on the top of her hood and allowing it to drop down to her shoulders. Lucy gasped when the girls face came into full view. The girl was young, even younger than Wendy, and her hair looked almost like Erza's but was a few shades lighter with more curls in it. But it was not her face nor her hair that caused Lucy's shock

From the girls head; two dark red horns adorned her head above her head. Two horns that looked like the horns of a dragon.

 **thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favorites everyone. look forward to the next chapter where Lucy will learn more of the world and start to become stronger.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! Got another chapter done! Thanks again for everyone who read my story**

Lucy sighed for what felt like it must have been the umpteenth time that day as she stared out at the bustling city before her. Abaddon had left earlier that morning to "Ask for an audience" but most of the time he would say that he would return in the evening and simply admit to having been distracted by something and never getting around to it, earning himself a smack from Lucy. Lucy could never truly understand what her demon friend was thinking most of the time he would have that stupid smile on his face while behaving almost like a butler around her. Other times he was even more arrogant and prideful than Laxus had been during his time in the guild. But at the very least that was normal considering he _was_ the Lord of Pride; one would expect him to be a little full of himself from time to time.

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sheets moving against each other from behind her. Alva was there, still in the grip of sleep, and had gotten her horns tangled in the sheets and appeared to be trying to untangle them in her sleep.

Lucy chuckled quietly to herself as she walked over to the young girl and started to try to untangle the sheets from her hair. As Alva continued to sleep I couldn't help but stare at the two horns that ran perpendicularly to her head. Lucy had to admit, despite the fact that they were beautiful, that when she first saw them she had been a little freaked out. After all, it was far from normal to find someone who had freaking horns on their head.

Lucy sighed once again as her mind wandered back to that day almost a week ago, when she had given a girl a name and learned an important secret about Celestial magic.

* * *

Lucy blinked and gasped in surprise as Alva lowered her hood to reveal her horns. The horns were a deep dark red, almost the color of blood, and were smooth like a piece of polished wood. The horns started from the side of her head and curled up perpendicular to her head.

Her eyes started to go wide in panic. She was not afraid of the girl, far from it, it was just that the horns made Lucy think about dragons, and dragons inevitably led her thoughts to _him._ Lucy felt her panic and anger boil up from inside her but a second latter they were gone. The feelings that had threatened to consume her simply vanished as a feeling akin to ice cold water being dumped into her mind.

Lucy was confused by the feeling in her head, but Abaddon's words brought her mind back their situation. "I see, she's a half dragon." He said seemingly to himself. "That would explain why those slave traders were so desperate to capture her."

"Half dragon?" Lucy asked in confusion as she turned to face the demon.

"Indeed; while they are impossibly rare in your world here it is merely quite uncommon here." Abaddon explained. "A child of a dragon and a human would have quite the high levels of magic and physical strength beyond that of a natural human. The dragons tend to keep the half dragons corralled in their northern territories but occasionally one might find one down in these lands, especially if said half dragon was abandoned by their mother."

Lucy said nothing for a moment as she processed the information, but then simply turned back to smile at Alva. "Then do you have nowhere to go Alva?" to which the girl simply nodded. "Then you'll simply have to come with us!" she said as her smile grew wider at Alva's shocked expression.

"Are you sure that is wise Milady? A half dragon is sure to draw some unwanted attention, especially in the capital of Wrath." Abaddon warned in a stern voice.

"Then I'll simply protect her." Lucy dismissed his concerns as she reached out to pat Alva on the head, something that made the girls eyes widen even more than from before.

"What you meant to say was that I'm going to half to protect you both now right, since you have no magic to use of your own." Abaddon corrected with a snicker.

Lucy jumped to her feet and turned angrily to the man. "That's right! Why didn't you tell me that Celestial summoning magic wouldn't work! And why doesn't it even work here!" Lucy angry shouted as she pointed an accusing finger at the man.

Abaddon smiled and gave a slight bow which only added to Lucy's rage. "I had thought it would be obvious with what you saw last night but it appears that you are less observant than I originally thought." And before Lucy could even comment on his insult he pointed to the sky. "the reason that you cannot call out to the Zodiac is because there are no Zodiac in this world. There are no stars to call upon."

Lucy staggered back as if she had been struck and looked up into the sky simply out of reflex, and while it was still too bright out to see the starlight she could somehow tell that Abaddon was telling the truth. "So my magic is useless here?" she asked with a hint of hysteria in her voice, "How exactly am I supposed to get strong enough for my revenge if I can't even use my magic?"

Abaddon merely held out his hand, stopping her from saying anything else. "I never said that your magic was useless, I simply said that you could not use Celestial summoning magic. The other side of Celestial magic will work just fine."

Lucy stopped and stared at the demon with her mouth just hanging open. "…the other side of Celestial magic? What exactly does that mean?"

Abaddon's smile simply grew larger and cockier. "It means that I will teach you to manipulate the dark side of Celestial magic; the power to control dark matter."

* * *

The next week had been one of constant travel as the continuously moved towards the capital, or at least that was what Abaddon had said every time she asked. He had also simply ignored her whenever she had brought up the subject of dark celestial magic, simply saying that he would teach her more when they reached their destination. She had confirmed over the next few days after rescuing Alva that what Abaddon said was indeed true. Every night she would stare up in to the sky and only be greeted by the inky blackness of the night, with not a single speck of light to be seen. For the first few nights the sight of an entirely black sky had disturbed her to no end but by the time they had arrived at the capital she had adapted to it well enough.

Speaking of the capital; Lucy had never seen a city nearly as impressive nor as intimidating as the capital. Each of the buildings stood taller than the guild hall and seemed to be made entirely out of obsidian. Even the size of the city was massive, at least twice the size of Magnolia, and was surrounded thick walls. Every building had sharp angles to them that gave the buildings. Overall the entire city was very foreboding.

"Lu…ce?" a groggy voice sounded out, brining Lucy back to reality. Alva had woken up and was looking around for the older girl.

"I'm here Alva," Lucy answered as she moved her hand through the girls red hair. "Are you hungry? I was just about to break out some of Abaddon's leftovers."

Alva didn't answer with words; she simply nodded her head and gave a mumbling of affirmation. Over the past week Alva had grown quite close to Lucy, sticking to her closer at all times. She was always right next to Lucy and was constantly clinging to her clothes. The girl had even started to refer to her by the same nickname that _he_ used; something that had made her sick at first but she had adapted to it at this point.

Abaddon had also been right about her attracting unwanted attention, after they had arrived the two of them had tried to explore the city at two separate times and both times they had been accosted by random thugs. Both times they were forced into a corner and Abaddon had appeared at the last minute to "deal" with them, something that annoyed Lucy to no end and something that Abaddon was quick to realize and rub in. despite the fact that they had arrived in the capital Abaddon had done nothing to teach Lucy about the so called Dark Matter and Lucy had no way to do the research herself. The only thing he had done was unleash something he called her "Second Origin" something that had caused her no small amount of pain and left her sore and spent for the last few days.

"Luce…can you tell me another story…please?" Alva asked in between bites of food with puppy dog eyes that were nearly impossible for Lucy to resist.

Lucy sighed for what she hopped would be the last time that day as she smiled playfully at Alva. "Sure, sure…have I told you about the time that I had my body switched with that of my guildmates?" and when Alva shook her head no Lucy launched into her tale of the changeling.

It was a few hours later when Abaddon finally returned with Lucy almost instantly storming up to him. "Abaddon! Where have you been?!" she asked with her hands on her hips and tried to look as intimidating as possible.

Abaddon merely smiled at her with his usual arrogant grin. "You need not worry, Milady, for today I was actually accomplishing your desires. I have been gone to get you your audience with the Lord of Wrath; Ira. In two weeks time he shall grant you a trial to determine your worthiness of a pact."

"Huh? I thought you said that they would be jumping at the chance to form a pact with me?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"Indeed they will however there are certain procedures for one to join a Lord of Sin. Normally if one wants our supreme power they must first prove themselves worthy of such power. When I first saved you I looked into your mind and found your desire for revenge to be worthy of my pact. And that is why I chose to save your life." Abaddon explained, "However, despite what I might say, the other Lords of Sin must still test you in their own ways. I do not know of exactly what Ira's test will contain but I can ensure you that you will be tested through combat. As such I believe that it is time that we finally begin your training. I trust that at this point you have gotten over your soreness from your Second Origin being opened."

"I guess…what exactly is a Second Origin anyway?" Lucy asked as Alva walked over to Lucy and grabbed the side of her skirt and look at Abaddon with a wary look.

"The Second Origin is a container within your body that allows you to collect more magic from your surroundings. A normal mage would normally only have access to their original magic container but I unlocked yours earlier. Though due to that your body became physically weak due to the new muscle being unlocked within you."

Lucy was surprised to find that there was an actual reason for why Abaddon was running out every single day. She hadn't expected him to think that far ahead with the way normally acted. "Alright, so do you want to go over this Dark Celestial magic now?" Lucy asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Of course Milady, Dark Celestial magic is magic pertaining to manipulating the dark matter that exists within the entire universe."

Lucy frowned at Abaddon's explanation of this magic. "I'm not sure…I don't really want to become an evil mage just for the sake of my revenge."

"You misunderstand; Dark Celestial magic is not evil by its nature." Abaddon denied, "Think of it this way; in your world when you stare up at the night sky is the sky completely filled with light? When you really think about it there is more darkness in the night sky than there is light from the stars, and it is the contrast between the light and the dark that makes your sky all the more beautiful."

Once again Lucy was surprised at how articulate the man before her could be, but when she thought about it everything he said was true, but there was something else that was nagging at her. "Ok, fine, I understand your point. But I heard from Leo the Lion that dark matter can interfere with Celestial summoning magic. Is learning this magic going to stop me from summoning my spirits?"

"It can if you fail to master it. When dark matter collects in large quantities it can block the path from the Celestial world. But when one has mastered dark celestial magic you could simply move all the dark matter away from the path."

Lucy placed a hand on her chin as she pondered what Abaddon had said. If he was telling the truth; than what he proposed would be a great benefit to her. Truth be told she had always been a little self conscious about her lack of attacking magic and physical strength back when she had been in Earthland. If Abaddon was offering to make her stronger who was she to refuse?

"All right then, let's get started." Lucy declared, but at that moment she felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down to find Alva staring at her with a determined expression on her face.

"Hey Abaddon, is there any magic you can teach Alva here?" Lucy asked as she tried to emulate Alva's puppy dog eyes.

Abaddon and Alva stared at each other for a moment, with the later looking quite wary of the man. Alva had always been somewhat cautious of the man since the first time they had met, apparently easily slaughtering the two men who had held her captive didn't leave that great of an impression on her.

"Unfortunately, I have little expertise on dragon or dragon slaying magic despite my many years of life." Abaddon explained. "Nor do we know exactly what kind of dragon half she is, if I were to teach her a magic opposite to her element it could end up killing her. However…" he trailed off as a more predatory grin appeared on his face. "I suppose that if she desires some physical training I would be happy to oblige."

Alva visibly shook at the thought of training against the man but said nothing in opposition to the idea so Lucy could only assume she was ok with it.

"Just to make sure, you're not going to kill her right?" Lucy asked with a strained voice.

"Oh, Milady, how you wound me!" he exclaimed with mock shock. "I would never endanger my dear companions!"

"…I don't like him" Alva declared with a deadpan expression causing Lucy to break out into a laughing fit.

"Ahem…well then if you two ladies are done playing around its time to begin." Abaddon said as he snapped his fingers and opened a black portal behind him.

 _No one plays around more than you._ Lucy deadpanned as she walked into the darkness.

* * *

For a good minute Lucy could see nothing through the inky blackness, but slowly her eyes adjusted until she could finally see where they were. Before her was an enormous chamber that stretched out as far as the eye could see. There entire room seemed to be comprised out of varying shades of dark material, giving Lucy a slight feeling of vertigo when she walked forward.

"Abaddon, where exactly are we?" Lucy asked as she heard two sets of footsteps approach from behind.

"A full explanation would take far too long, so to put in simple terms we are within my shadow. Here I will be able to train you two without distractions." Abaddon said as he moved to stand in front of Lucy and Alva. "Now then, to begin mastering dark celestial magic you shall begin with meditation training."

Lucy nodded and sat down and crossed her legs. She had gotten used to meditation training from when she was learning celestial magic as a child so doing it again was no problem for her.

"Milady, for this training I want you release your magic power as if you were opening the path to the Celestial World. However instead of opening a gate I want you to imagine yourself in a bubble within the night sky. As you release more of your power; imagine the bubble around you shrinking until you can hold it within the palm of your hand and within this bubble is the entirety of the night sky. Leaving you in an entirely white space."

Lucy looked up at him, waiting for more of an explanation, but Abaddon simply smiled down at her. "That's it?" she questioned incredulously.

"That's it. You must first begin to feel the dark matter yourself before you can learn to manipulate it." And after finishing he walked over to Alva and picked her up in a princess carry. "I shall take our little dragon friend here and whip her into shape. Call out to me if you require more instructions." And with that he was gone, along with Alva who had released quite the cute scream at Abaddon's sudden movement.

Lucy simply stared for a moment at the spot he had once occupied as she thought about what he had said. In the end, however, she couldn't find any clues how to use this new magic from his explanation which left her the only option of following his commands.

Lucy closed her eyes and focused on the night sky she remembered. She imagined the seemingly endless amount of stars and the faint wisps of nebulas she remembered seeing. Even in her mind she could still see the constellations of all her friends. She smiled to herself at first but when she remembered what Abaddon had instructed her to do she scolded herself and began to release energy.

After nearly an hour of failed attempts Lucy let a low growl leak from her lips. The constant failures to produce any results had left her furious at both herself and Abaddon for his lackluster instructions. _One more time, I'll try one more time before calling out to him and forcing him to give me better instructions._

Lucy once again tried to calm her mind as she imagined the universe surrounding her bubble. This time however she was not nearly as calm as before, her inner universe seemingly darker than it had been previously. Lucy held out her hand in her mind and released her magic power again.

 _Work damn it, I can't afford to not have this power. I WILL have this power!_ Lucy screamed in her head as she tried once again to make the image work. It was at that moment that a strange feeling overcame her. Suddenly it felt like her mind was expanding in all directions until it filled up the imaginary space she had created. Then, just as fast as it had expanded, her mind collapsed into the sphere she held in her outstretched hand. Lucy stared out in shock as she could see herself from within the orb of stars and while at the same time from without.

Lucy opened her eyes to see an orb of what looked like the night sky hovering just above her outstretched palm. It was darker than the sky that Lucy had envisioned and gave off an almost creepy feeling but it was beautiful nonetheless.

"Well done Milady, you are one step closer to achieving your goals." Came Abaddon's smug voice from her side.

Lucy looked up over her shoulder to see him bowing slightly with his hand over his chest. "Abaddon; where exactly is Alva?"

"I left her in the place where we were sparring when I felt you release your dark matter. No doubt she is screaming my name in anger as we speak." He said with a slight chuckle.

Lucy felt her magic power drain out of her and as she turned to look she could see the orb of dark matter disappear from her hand. "So now that I've managed to figure that out how to summon the dark matter what do I do with it?" Lucy questioned as she stood on legs that shook from having fallen asleep during her meditations.

"In a word, everything. Dark matter can be converted into both offense and defensive spells and can even be converted into a celestial weapon for you to wield." Abaddon explained.

"Really? That seems almost too good to be true. Why wouldn't other celestial wizards use dark matter if it was that powerful?"

"Because of how difficult it is to use and of the fact that in your world it would be considered a "Lost Magic"" Abaddon continued, "what you consider to be simple meditation would have taken most much of their life to achieve. You should be proud of your power Milady."

Lucy blushed noticeably at his words of praise and gave him a thumb up in an attempt to hide it. "That's all well and good but now what do I do?"

"Now…we whip you into shape." He said with the same predatory grin he used when speaking of fighting against Alva.

Lucy winced and involuntarily stepped back. Something told her that the next week was going to be a living hell for her and her new dragon friend.

 **sorry if you guys were hoping for some more training scenes but i personally find them very boring so i wanted to keep it shorter. i will go over some more of Lucy's new power in the next chapter however as she will be taking the trial of wrath. till next time guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

With her body sore and covered in cuts, Lucy collapsed onto her bed and felt like she couldn't move a muscle. Alva similarly was sprawled out on her own bed with a very tired look on her face.

"I…really don't…like him." Alva declared in between breaths and eliciting a smile from Lucy.

"Can't say that I really disagree with you at this point, he's quite the slave driver" Lucy said as she voiced her grievances.

It was only after she said her comment that she realized her mistake. She looked over at Alva to see a hurt look on her face.

Lucy jumped out of her bed, ignoring her screaming muscles, and walked over to Alva to embrace the girl in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry; it just kind of slipped out. Can you forgive me?" Lucy asked as she stroked Alva's hair.

"I-its ok…I know that you didn't mean it." Alva said in a shaky voice that clearly showed how not ok with it she really was.

Lucy continued to stroke her hair as the girl trembled in her arms. Lucy had not asked and she doubted that the girl would ever speak of it but Lucy knew she had suffered immensely under the thumb of her captors. In a way, Alva reminded her a lot of Erza and what she had to suffer through in the Tower of Heaven. There was a hidden strength to the girl but yet she still held pain that she would let no one know of.

Lucy continued to stroke the girl's hair and hum a tune her own mother used to calm her nerves when she was a child. After a few minutes Alva's shaking subsided and her breathing returned to normal.

"Better?" Lucy asked as she removed her hand from her head and smiled at her.

"…Better." She said returning the smile.

"Glad to hear it; but holy cow Alva you were amazing today during training! I wouldn't have thought that you would be capable of landing a blow on Abaddon, even if he wasn't taking the fight too seriously." Lucy exclaimed as she brought up that days training. The two of them had spent almost the entirety of the last six days fighting and training their skills against Abaddon and against each other.

Lucy's training had mainly focused on her dark matter magic, and wielding said dark matter with the intent of defending herself or attacking. She had learned how to concentrate the dark matter into destructive orbs or beams that she could then shoot out at her opponents. She had also found a way to create a barrier of dark matter that cut the space around her off from everything else, essentially making it invincible. She could not use the barrier for long however as it drew too much of her magic energy to hold for long.

After she learned to mold her dark matter into a weapon, which took the form of a rapier comprised entirely of the night sky. The moment she learned how to use it however she had been subject to Abaddon's intense physical training. Abaddon would have her remain in a single spot and attempt to dodge his attacks, and considering that a single touch would likely break bones she dodged like her life depended on it. Of course with how strong and how fast he was it was almost impossible for Lucy. she had been sent flying so much that she had probably spent more time in the air than not. Despite her many times sailing through the air she had actually improved, being able to dodge occasionally.

Alva had spent every day fighting against Abaddon and Lucy and had become quite the terrifying little dragon. When Abaddon would get bored of sending Lucy to the moon he would have the two girls duke it out. And Lucy couldn't help but be shocked at the girl's raw speed and power. To Hell to her just reminding her of Erza; the way she moved was almost the exact same speed and strength as the Titania. It was honestly far too scary for Lucy to face off against someone who reminded her so much of her friend.

Lucy wasn't about to let Alva walk all over her though; as Abaddon had taught her she tried to use the most minimal amount of movement to dodge her blows while stabbing out with her blade in counters. With her own physical improvements as well as her new magic she was able to fight against Alva to a standstill.

"N-no…I'm not that impressive." Alva said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. Lucy loved to see the girl act so bashful, she normally tried to keep a straight face but sometimes she would show her feelings more openly which made her all the cuter.

It was at that moment that Abaddon knocked and walked through the door, smiling at the two girls for a second before returning to a serious face. "Milady, Miss Alva, with tomorrow being the day of Milady's trial it would be prudent for us to retire early for the night."

Lucy nodded in agreement and sluggishly returned to her own bed, not even feeling hungry with how tired she was, and collapsed into her bed. _Tomorrow I finally get one step closer to my return to Earthland and my revenge against him._ She thought to herself as sleep overtook her.

* * *

The three of them slowly made their way to the imposing citadel that housed the Lord of Wrath. The citadel was just as creepy looking as all the other buildings in the city, built almost entirely out of black stone and with sharp edges protruding from the sides of the towers. It looked like a stereotypical villain's castle.

When they finally ascended to the top of the stairs they were greeted by a curious sight. Before the three of them stood a man wearing such thick armor that it put Erza to shame. The man stood a good two heads higher than Lucy and had a bald head that seemed to shine in the sunlight. The man had a white, bushy mustache that covered the entirety of his upper lip and a pair of stern gray eyes watching the threes advances.

The man's armor was certainly the most defining of his characteristics however. It was a bright red with gold embroidery and covered every inch of his skin with the exception of his head. Within each of his hands he held a massive halberd that was the same color as his armor.

"Sir Abaddon, it is a …pleasure to see you again." The man said in a gruff voice as he looked to the man.

"Indeed it is, little Freddy, it trust lord Ira is well?" Abaddon said with a smile upon his lips.

"Lord Ira is the same as ever and I recall explaining to you at our previous meeting to refrain from referring to me as "Freddy." Please refer to me by my proper name: Frederick." The man said with rage barely contained in his voice. "You have brought the one who seeks the trial I assume?" the man named Frederick asked as he looked at Alva with an appraising eye.

"Indeed I have, little Freddy; however the one you're looking for at the wrong person. Milady here is the one who seeks the pact." Abaddon said as he gestured to Lucy.

"Her?" Frederick said as he ran the same critical eye over Lucy and scowled. "This is the one who was able to make a pact with the Lord of Pride?"

Lucy frowned at the mans unbelieving tone and took a step forward. "Indeed I am, now would you mind stepping aside so I can take my trial?"

The man's eyebrows jumped up at Lucy's tone but otherwise he showed no reaction. "Those who wish to meet with Lord Ira must first prove themselves through a trial by combat. I shall be the one to determine whether or not you are worthy of meeting my lord." He declared as he readied his halberds.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the man before taking a quick look at Abaddon and finding that he and Alva had moved a good distance away and were both waving at her. She sighed as she drew upon her dark matter and created her rapier, pointing it at Frederick and taking her stance.

For a good minute neither of them moved both simply trying to get a feel for their opponent. But Lucy, finally losing her patience, sprung forward intending to stab the man in the shoulder. The man would have none of that however, he easily swiped her blade out of the way with the shaft of his weapon and continued to spin the halberd and hit her in the gut. Lucy coughed out as she was sent flying back.

The man scoffed as he returned back to his stance. "Is this all that someone who has a pact with one of the seven lords is capable of?"

"Don't count me out yet, we're far from done." Lucy growled out as she jumped back up on her feet. Rather than continue to attack with her blade when Frederick clearly had the upper hand in martial prowess Lucy instead transformed her blade into an orb of dark matter. " **Celestial strike: Beam!** " she shouted as she pointed the orb at the man which promptly shot out in a line at Frederick.

Frederick seemed unfazed by the magic barreling towards him; he simple brought both his halberds and crossed them before his chest. " **Wrath style: Raging blow**." he said in a low voice and his weapons began to glow with a dark green light. He then swung both the halberds at Lucy's magic and released a green X of magic that flew forward with a sound like it was ripping through the air. The two magics impacted each other and exploded in a cloud of smoke.

Lucy coughed as the smoke filled her lungs but she kept her eyes open and pointed forward waiting for Frederick to make a move. Expecting it, Lucy was still quite surprised when the man barreled through the smoke with a speed that she would not have expected from someone wearing as much armor as he was.

Frederick swung his right blade across his chest while at the same time bringing his left hand blade down in an arc. Lucy had no time to think about where to go so she ducked her head and stepped into the two blows, something that Frederick did not seem to expect. Lucy quickly created another orb of dark matter and twisted it back into her blade. Taking advantage of being inside Fredericks guard she quickly thrust out at a gap between the armor on his shoulder, hoping to make him lose one of his weapons.

Unfortunately for Lucy her aim was slightly off, and the only thing she managed to do was make sparks as her rapier impacted his shoulder pad. Frederick snarled and lowered his shoulder and slammed it into Lucy, sending her flying through the air once again.

Rising back to her feet, Lucy glared at Frederick and readied her stance once again, knowing that this battle was going to be a long one.

Lucy panted as she struggled to lift her head from the ground. Frederick had sent her flying for the eighth time and she was finally starting to feel the pain all over her body from the impacts. It did not take Lucy long to realize that she was outclassed by the man in any type of physical engagement. From what she could tell the man used some sort of physical enhancement spells to move at the speed he did and to send her flying so far from just a simple hit.

After being sent flying for the seventh time Lucy tried to push herself back up but her arms gave out and she fell back down and coughed out as her breath was forced out.

"Lady Lucy, as…interesting as it has been to fight against you it would be in your best interest to just give up and accept your fate." Frederick said in a bored tone as he stared down at her.

Lucy froze at his words, _my…fate?_ She thought as her mind blanked out.

In that moment, the world seemed to explode around Lucy. The air rushed outward with a sound similar to screeching metal and her immediate surroundings darkened with the explosion of magical energy. Like a puppet whose strings had been pulled, Lucy rose back to her feet and shot a look at Frederick that was filled with barely contained fury.

"I refuse…I will NEVER give in to my fate until I find him again. I refuse to die until the day I find the truth of that night." Lucy growled out in a voice so low that it shocked even her.

Frederick moved a step back in surprise and his eyes widened but his guard never lowered. Lucy starred daggers at the man but inside she was panicking, she may have been giving off more magic than she thought she could at that moment but she still had no real way of defeating him. _Think damn it, think! He will counter any attack I throw at him so I have to find a way to distract him, but how!_ Lucy took a step back and heard her keys clinking against her side. Looking down Lucy saw the hilt of Fleuve d'étoiles and recalled a conversation from earlier that week.  
 _"What do you mean, "why do I only use Fleuve d'étoiles as a whip." is there something else I could do with it." Lucy had questioned after a particularly draining training session which had forced Lucy onto her back and breathing heavily. It was at that moment that Abaddon had brought up a question about her celestial whip._

 _"I mean exactly as I asked, the weapon in your hand is known as the River of Stars; not a whip of the stars, why do you insist on using it in such a basic manner?" Abaddon questioned._

 _Lucy blinked at that, it being something she had not been expecting. "Well…I've always used a whip and I guess it just kind of naturally happened that way."_

 _Abaddon sighed as he placed a hand on his forehead. "Milady; if you truly wish to become stronger you must abandon your pre conceived notions of your magic. You must think of it as an extension of your own body rather than a whip. To truly use the Fleuve d'étoiles you must use it like you would use your own arms."_

Lucy smiled down at her trusty weapon a plan; admittedly a poorly conceived plan, forming in her head. She looked back up at Frederick, who frowned at Lucy's newfound confidence, and summoned her dark matter blade once again and charging back in.

Frederick watched as the girl charged forward once again and could feel the frown on his face growing larger. _Despite all the times I have sent her flying she still believes a frontal assault will work? Lord Abaddon praise seems to have been misplaced if this is all she is capable of._ Frederick had been quite shocked when the Lord of Pride had shown up a few days ago and claimed to have in his company a mage capable of forging pacts with the Lords of Sin. He had of course agreed to be the opponent for such a mage when Abaddon had requested an audience and had been waiting here for the mage in question to appear. And what had finally shown up? Nothing but a young girl who could barley hold her own in the fight. Frederick crossed his halberds before him, preparing his spell one last time with the intent of finishing the fight.

What he had not expected in that moment however was for Lucy's smile to grow wider and for her weapon to vanish from her hand. Frederick blinked in confusion and that slight opening was all that Lucy seemed to need.

"Fleuve d'étoiles!" she shouted out and from her hip a blue cord of water shot out from her side. The cord seemed to move with a mind of its own as it struck as fast as a viper and quickly bound his two weapons together and proceeded to wrap itself tightly around one of his hands. Frederick struggled to free himself from the water weapon, but it was all ready to late. Lucy once again reformed her weapon and had maneuvered directly behind him, the tip of her blade at the back of his neck.

For a minute, the only sound was the sound of the two combatant's heavy breathing. But Abaddon strolled forward smiling and held his hands to the air and addressed an invisible crowd. "The winner; Lucy Heartfilia!"

* * *

Lucy collapsed in relief and the half dragon ran to her side to check her condition. Frederick turned and stared down in contemplation at the dark celestial mage who had defeated him. While the girls physical strength was clearly lacking her reaction speed was quite terrifying. Frederick had only been able to land around a third of the blows that he had intended to and even those were only possible when he had enhanced his speed. Her magic power was also quite remarkable and while she wasn't quite sure what caused it to flow uncontrollably from her body earlier it had been so powerful that for a brief moment she had made him feel fear.

"She's quite the mage, isn't she Little Freddy." Abaddon whispered to him as he approached from behind.

"I believe I told you to refrain from using that name, Lord Abaddon." Frederick deadpanned without looking away from the exhausted blonde. "Though you are correct, she is quite the impressive fighter. I shall have to apologize for my actions latter." He then moved to the gate of the palace and turned to address the three who were gathered before him. "You have proven yourselves worthy of entry to Lord Ira's home. I herby open the gates of wrath for you." The moment he finished the massive black gates behind slowly began to open, revealing a darkened hallway behind him.

* * *

Lucy moved with each step echoing in the darkened hallway. After her close match with Frederick the three of them had been led by the armored man deep into the citadel presumably to meet with the Lord of Wrath. Along their way she had seen a multitude of what she assumed to be demons based on their completely black skin and bright green eyes. But despite being demons not a single one attacked them, they simply moved off to the side and bowed respectively. Frederick explained that once someone was given the right to enter the citadel they would be treated with the upmost of respect. And not only had Lucy gained entry into the citadel, but she had managed to beat one of the strongest fighters in the place.

"Wait, you're one of the most powerful people here?! And I managed to beat you!?" Lucy exclaimed upon hearing his explanation. She of course understood he was strong; the soreness in her limbs spoke volumes on that subject. But she would have never expected him to be one of the top fighters here.

Frederick chuckled at her shock. "You honor me Lady Lucy, I may be strong but I am nothing compared to Lord Abaddon or Lord Ira. And you are a mage that has a contract with one such being and are on your way to obtaining the aid on another. I'm certain that your power far surpasses mine so it is no wonder you emerged victorious."

After that little boost to Lucy's self esteem the group continued on in silence for another five or so minutes until the finally arrived at what Lucy could only assume was the throne room. The camber was massive; the ceiling a good twenty or so feet taller than the guild hall, and the only source of light came from massive torches set up along the path.

"About time you got here, you certainly took your sweet time!" a surprisingly chipper voice shouted out from somewhere in the darkness before them.

The group continued forward until they found the source of the voice and Lucy had to admit that she was impressed with herself that she didn't yell out in surprise. Before them was a man who fit the very definition of "massive". He towered over the group to the point that he pretty much filled the entire chamber with his presence. His skin was black like the demons they had seen previously and his eyes were his same shade of green but seemed to be almost alight with flames of the same color. The man's hair looked almost like Gajeel's but was even spikeier and his mouth held far too many pointed teeth, making him look almost like a shark.

The man was also wearing full body armor similar to Frederick but his armor was the same shade of black as everything else in the building and was covered in spikes. But by far the most defining feature of the man was the fact that he had a total of six arms each holding a different weapon.

The man sat upon a massive throne and watched their group approach with a smile upon his face, but with teeth like his it looked more like he wanted to eat them. "So you finally lost, eh Frederick." He chuckled to the man by Lucy's side.

Frederick quickly kneeled and turned his eyes down. "Indeed I did, Lord Ira, Lady Lucy is quite the fighter." He replied with his head still lowered.

Ira laughed at that and turned his massive head to look at Lucy. "Indeed, I could feel her power from all the way in here. Quite the little display of magic you put on missy."

Lucy gulped nervously as she took a step forward. "My greetings to you, Lord Ira, I have come to take your challenge and seek a pact with you to claim the power of wrath for myself."

Ira stared at her in silence for a moment before breaking out into an even louder laugh than he had previously. "My Challenge eh? You have already passed it little one. I could feel your immense rage and your desire for revenge from all the way in here. One who can draw upon so much of my sin is worthy of my pact. Come forward and claim your power."

Lucy moved forward with steady steps until she was standing right at Ira's feet. Then, before she could react, Ira leaned down and placed a single massive finger on her guild mark. A green spark passed between them and once again Lucy's magic exploded outwards. She clenched her hands and jaw to keep from crying out, as the feeling was quite unpleasant. Then the feeling of anger began to grow within her. Her eyes shot open and she stared off into space with a look of murderous rage. She couldn't identify why she was so angry nor did she really care, she simply allowed her anger to pour forth. Then, just like earlier, the feeling of cold water in her mind doused her rage.

She blinked in confusion and stared down at her guild mark and saw a faint green glow emanating from her pink tattoo. She only looked back up when she heard Ira's booming laughter.

"And there you have it, Little Lucy; I am now bound to you and your magic. You may bring my wrath against any who would stand against you." At Lucy's confused expression Ira frowned down at her. "What? Were you expecting some blood offering or something for a pact to be formed? All I needed was to see just how angry you could get and boy do you house some fury in you. Now then, now that you have my pact you are free to lea-."

"Lord Ira, forgive me for interrupting but I must speak." Frederick said from his still kneeling position. "I would like you to grant me leave so I may journey along side Lady Lucy."

Lucy turned in surprise at Fredericks's request and could tell that the others were just as surprised as she was.

"Hoh…? And why would you want that?" Ira asked as he sat back in his chair.

Frederick was silent for a moment. "…because I want to see what her answer shall be." He finally answered in a solemn tone.

Lucy looked at Ira and Abaddon in turn, not understanding what Frederick had meant by "Her answer", but besides for a frown on both their faces they gave no indication of explaining what he meant.

"I see…very well then, I grant you leave so long as you follow Little Lucy in her journey." Ira answered in a more serious tone than Lucy would have thought him capable of.

* * *

Abaddon watched as his mistress moved to speak to Alva and Fredrick with a wide grin upon her face. He understood without having to resort to reading her mind that she was happy that she had gained new power and was once again closer to returning to Earthland for her revenge. Abaddon casually moved to stand next to Ira while never once taking his eyes off of the blonde who was now petting Alva's hair, who looked ecstatic at the treatment.

"I'm surprised; I did not think you would allow a pact so easily. What changed your mind from the last time we spoke?" Abaddon asked in a voice so low only Ira would be able to hear it.

"You are not of my sin so I'm not surprised you couldn't feel the full force of it, but that girl is filled with wrath, so much so that I'm impressed that she is even functioning." Ira answered in an equally quiet voice. "I may not enjoy being bound to a human but even for me I could not resist the temptation of her wrath. And like Frederick said, I too am curious what her answer will be when her travels reach their inevitable conclusion. I will leave her in your hands Abaddon; I trust you will see this through."

Abaddon did not reply to his old friend, instead he simply stared at his Mistress as she moved to speak to Frederick. He could not help but feel some pity for her, she had no idea about what fate truly had in store for her and he could not tell her. But from the strength she had shown today Abaddon had a feeling that the celestial mage would surprise them all.

 **So i thought i would take a minute to explain the new spells that Lucy has in her arsenal so here we go**

 **Celestial strike: Beam. fires a single beam of dark matter at high speeds straight at her opponent**

 **Celestial strike: Rain. Creates an orb of dark matter that Lucy sends into the air that then shatters and rains down upon her foe.**

 **Celestial sword: creates a blade of dark matter for Lucy to wield**

 **Celestial wall: summons a wall of dark matter to separate space around Lucy, very powerful defense but cannot be used for long periods of time because it is too draining**

 **And that's all for now, she'll learn some new ones latter but these are still going to be her primary forms of offense/ defense. Thanks for reading**


	7. Chapter 7

Lucy squinted her eyes as she looked over the black plains that seemed to stretch out endlessly before her. It had been two months since her pact with Ira and their group was now headed south to the Domain of Sloth in order to collect her third pact. Things had not gone as smoothly as Lucy would have hoped though, they had the option to take this worlds version of a magic transport but Abaddon had informed her that half dragons suffer from even worse motion sickness than a simple dragon slayer. If they were to take transportation then Alva could possibly die from severe motion sickness.

And so their group began their long journey south to the lands of Sloth. Lucy couldn't help but feel slightly depressed at the constant view of the black, charred lands that had been their constant companion. According to Abaddon; the lands under the control of a Lord of Sin each take on an aspect of their master. That was the reason at the lands under the control of Ira always seemed to be burnt down while according to him the lands under the control of Sloth are quite swampy. Something that Lucy was not looking forward to moving through.

The journey had not been all bad however, Lucy's physical and magical training had continued nearly every evening since they began their trip. She spent nearly every night training with her rapier against Frederick and her reaction speed had risen to ungodly levels. She still wasn't nearly capable of fighting against Abaddon and even Alva had surpassed her level after her constant fights against the Lord of Pride.

Frederick on the other hand was much better at pulling his punches and therefore made a much better sparring partner. Frederick would test Lucy in new ways nearly every time to improve her physical strength as well as her critical thinking on the battlefield. He was also a much more respectable gentleman than Abaddon could ever hope to be. Frederick remained respectful at all times, always referring to her as "Lady Lucy", and was the first to set up the camp for the night and the first to volunteer for the first watch.

He was not entirely perfect however, as he kept at least a few secrets to himself. A few nights after her pact with Ira when it had been just him and Lucy she had asked what exactly he had meant by what her answer would be. However he had been less than forthcoming in his answer.

"Unfortunately, Lady Lucy, I am not at liberty to discuss that with you. Only one of the Lords of Sin can answer your question. What I can tell you is that someday you will be given a choice, and that the path you take then will determine whether many people live or die." He had answered before returning his attention to the fire he had been attending to. Lucy tried to get more out of him but he was surprisingly tight lipped and Alva only gave her a blank stare when Lucy asked her. Even when she asked Abaddon he only changed the subject or simply disappeared from sight. Lucy was forced to give up but it was constantly at the back of her mind.

At that moment a deep rumble pulled Lucy from her thoughts. She looked around in confusion and saw a large dust cloud forming on the horizon.

"Oh? It appears that a wild herd of Wrath demons is approaching." Abaddon said with clearly mock surprise as he moved to stand alongside Lucy.

"Wild wrath demons? Is it normal for there to be that many? Because I don't remember seeing anything like this in these last three months." Lucy asked as she shot a glare at Abaddon.

"Well they aren't exactly common, but they do show up from time to time. Normally a team from the capitol would be deployed to deal with them." Frederick answered from behind her. "But this far out it would be almost pointless to deploy a team, they wouldn't arrive for days and the pack would simply have moved on."

"Are we in danger here?" Lucy asked nervously.

"Of course we are. Wrath demons are considered to be the most aggressive and some of the strongest demons in the realm." Abaddon answered as if it were an obvious answer.

"W-Well then why are we just standing here?!" Lucy screamed out as she turned to glare at Abaddon.

"Why would we run? You're more than capable of dealing with them." Abaddon said in a deadpan tone.

Lucy simply stared at him in fuming silence, "… Ok I give, what exactly do you mean?" Lucy asked in a tired voice.

"Its simple; you hold a pact with the highest form of a wrath demon. Simply use your pact to bend these ones to your will." Abaddon explained

"Ok…so how exactly do I do that?"

"I have no clue; I've never held a pact myself." Abaddon answered with a shrug.

…there was silence amongst their group as Lucy clenched her hand so hard she could feel her nails digging into her skin. She wanted to hurt Abaddon so badly that it hurt but in the end she simply stared out at the dust cloud that was growing larger by the second. The others all looked at her with either trepidation or simply a blank stare in the case of Abaddon.

 _Ok so…how exactly do I do this?_ Lucy thought to herself in a panic. She had never called out to a demon through her pact and she wasn't exactly all there when she first called upon Abaddon. But then she remembered, when Ira said the pact was complete he had reached down and touched her Fairy Tail mark and had caused a green spark of energy from the contact. If it was just physical contact needed for the pact to be formed then he could have laid his hand upon her in a number of more convenient places but he chose her right hand specifically. Perhaps that had some meaning when it came to pacts.

 _Oh well, here goes._ She thought dejectedly to herself as she raised her right hand and pointed her guild mark at the approaching horde. She waited until she could make out their individual forms before finally speaking in the most commanding tone she could muster. "Demons of wrath; obey my pact and serve your master."

And just like that; the horde simply vanished into a mass of black smoke. Lucy felt a slight dip in her magic energy and a greenish outline to her pink mark but otherwise there was no sign of the demons that had been barreling down upon them just moments ago.

A round of applause sounded off from behind Lucy at that moment and she turned around to find all three of her companions clapping, although Alva seemed to be just going with the flow rather than actually impressed.

"Congratulations Milady; you are one step closer to achieving your revenge." Abaddon said with a smile upon his lips. "Now then why don't you try calling out a few of them for practice."

"And would you care to explain how I do that or are you just going to give me some other excuse."

"Lady Lucy, I believe I can offer some assistance in regards to that." Frederick said as he moved forward. "According to my lord it is quite similar to when one calls out to a Celestial Spirit. You must simply open a pathway for the demons you desire and call them out by their specific sin." He explained in his usual business tone.

Lucy nodded and closed her eyes and concentrated on her Fairy Tail guild mark. At first she felt nothing but after a few seconds she felt a spark of energy that was quite similar to the feeling she got when opening a celestial gate.

"Come forth and obey, demons of wrath." Lucy said solemnly as she raised her hand similarly to how she brought the demons under control.

A second later a cloud of black smoke burst into existence in front of the group and from within it came the forms of the very same wrath demons that had been approaching mere moments ago.

While she didn't get a good chance to look at them when they were charging them, Lucy could now see the wrath demons in all their terrifying glory. While not as tall as Ira these demons easily stood a good four or so feet over Lucy's head and had the same black skin and green eyes that she had come to associate with wrath demons. Their bodies looked to be made entirely of muscle to the point where it looked unnatural.

Lucy managed to call out four of these massive beasts and each of them looked expectantly at her. Lucy almost faltered under the intense pressure of their gazes but managed to keep her unease from showing.

It was at that moment that Lucy had what she considered to be one of the greatest ideas that she had ever come up with. She turned back to Abaddon and the others with a feral grin upon her face. "Hey guys, I think I found us a way to travel." She said as she pointed a thumb over her shoulder.

Frederick's eyes widened while Alva simply tilted her head in confusion. Abaddon on the other hand burst out in laughter.

"I see, I see… but will little Alva be ok with this?" Abaddon asked still snickering to himself.

"Not vehicles…not a problem." Alva said giving a thumbs up.

Lucy giggled to herself and turned back to the demons that stood behind her. "Alright then, I order you to carry us to the Domain of Sloth!" she ordered as she pointed at them.

The wrath demons nodded once and each moved to grab someone. Lucy and Alva were small enough for the demons to carry in a single arm while Abaddon and Frederick choose to stand upon the demons shoulders instead.

"Alright, forward!" Lucy shouted as she pointed off into the distance. The demons moved practically the moment she finished and bounded forward with a speed that caused Lucy to yelp cutely. _Oh ya, this is going to be much better than walking._ She thought happily, _look out lord of Sloth, I'm coming for you!_

* * *

Makarov looked out over his children from his usual perch on top of the bar. It had been three months since they had said their last goodbyes to one of their family and it finally seemed like his children were begin to move on from their grief. While fights were still not as common and a feeling of gloom still permeated the air his children had started to go on jobs again and occasionally he would hear laughter echoing from corners of the building.

Despite the improvement, however, there were some who still could not bring themselves to stand back up. Nearly all of Team Natsu in particular barely moved nowadays. They would simply come into the guild and put their heads down, not speaking to anyone or doing anything that they were known for. And if they were not they would be at Lucy's grave paying their respects.

 _Well, at least Natsu seems to have recovered from Lucy's death._ He thought to himself solemnly. Natsu had recovered the quickest out of anyone in the guild, something that had surprised almost everyone. He was no longer the happy go lucky fire mage that he had been and he spent nearly every moment that he was conscious out on a job. The few times that he had seen the boy in the guild he would sit with his team but just stare off into space like he was trying to solve the problems of the world.

According to happy the boy had returned to looking for his foster father with vigor that he had never had before Lucy had joined them. He would complete his job as soon as possible and spend the rest of his time scouring every inch of the surrounding area for any sign of dragons, his foster father or otherwise.

 _While it might not be healthy, I don't think I need to step in and fix this just yet. They are entitled to their own forms of mourning after all._ Makarov thought to himself as Mirajane walked up to his side and returned him from his mind.

"Master; the S-class mages have all gathered and most of the guild is present. Is it time to announce those who will be taking the S class trials this year?" Mira was one of his children who had not quite yet returned to how she had been before Lucys death but she would occasionally show a sad smile as she tended to the bar.

"mmmhhh…thank you Mira, I suppose it is time." Makarov thanked as he stood up and made his way to the stage. Perhaps these trials would do his children some good and keep their minds off of what they had lost.

Makarov moved to the center of the stage and cleared his throat loudly, drawing all eyes to him. "Listen up kids, the time of the S-class trials are once again upon us and it is time to announce our candidates for this year. The following eight will have the chance to join the honored ranks of our guilds greatest warriors; Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Elfman Strauss, Cana Alberona, Freed Justine, Levy McGarden, and Mest Gryder. You have one week to find yourself a partner and meet at the port of Hargeon. Be prepared to test both your mind and your strength. That is all." And with that he moved off the stage and made his way back to his office.

 **Sorry for the almost filler chapter guys but i wanted this chapter to go over how the basic mechanics of the pact work and to check back in with Fairy Tail. As far as the S-class trial goes i wont be going over that at all in this fanfic. we all know how that works out and as far as my story goes just assume that Carla went with Cana and Pantherlilly went with Gray.**

 **Next time we will see Lucy take on the trial of Sloth. feel free to give me tips or reviews.**

 **until next time**


	8. Chapter 8

Looking out over the impressive view from a random balcony in the Palace of Sloth, Lucy couldn't help but admit that she had been much more impressed with this city than the city of Wrath.

The city was built upon a massive cliff face with the palace built upon the very top and seemed to defy gravity with how far up in the air they were. Unlike the City of Wrath, the City of Sloth was made out of dark gray bricks that gave everything an almost depressing vibe but even that was certainly better than the warlike black obsidian that made up the City of Wrath.

In addition, instead of having to stay in some tiny hotel room the Wrath demons had brought them directly to the palace and the demons present within the citadel treated them as honored guests while Lucy awaited her trial.

Speaking of the local demons; the demons here were massive creatures that stood even taller than Wrath demons and seemed to be made up entirely of stone. They had no eyes and moved so slowly that it seemed like they were part of the landscape rather than servants.

It had not been all bad however, as unlike the Citadel of Wrath here there were plenty of regular human at the castle and it had been interesting for Lucy to speak to people who had grown up in this world their whole life. They all treated her with immense respect when they found out she was both a celestial wizard as well as a pact holder apparently made her the equivalent of royalty.

Lucy had been quite surprised the first few times when she had described her ability to summon celestial spirits and only received blank stares in return. She had forgotten that the people here had never seen any stars and naturally would have no idea what the Zodiacs are. As such Lucy learned to simply skip talking about her original magic when speaking to these people.

"Luce…something wrong?" Came the voice of Alva from behind her. Lucy turned to find her half dragon friend wearing a beautiful red dress and looking anxiously at her.

Lucy quickly brought out a fake smile as she walked back into the main hall, her own blue and black dress swirling around her legs. "I'm fine Alva, just reminiscing." She said as she threw an arm around the young girls shoulder. "Now how about we go back in there and have some more fun entertaining everyone's curiosity about us?" Lucy said in a tone dripping with sarcasm and causing Alva to flinch and frown.

The two of them were currently attending a party held in Lucy's honor that reminded her of parties she would attend back when she lived with her father, although It didn't reminder her of anything good. The party was essentially an excuse for those who held power in this city to satisfy their curiosity about the half dragon girl and the girl who held pacts with two of the seven Lords of Sin. It wasn't exactly what Lucy would have called a good time, after all it was nothing compared to the parties that Fairy Tail would throw, but at least it was a distraction from how they had been at the Citadel for over a week and still were waiting on the Lord of Sloth to come up with a trial for her.

 _Well, not like I can expect much better from someone who quite literally embodies laziness._ Lucy thought dryly to herself as she smiled a greeting at a man who was eyeing her body with clear intentions. However before he could act upon them Frederick walked over.

"Pardon my interruption but Lord Abaddon would like to speak to you Lady Lucy." he said with a slight bow. Due to the fact that Frederick was still wearing his armor and that she had been called over by one of the seven lords the man that had been ogling her was quick to make up an excuse and scurried away.

Lucy let out a sigh as she turned and gave a weary smile to the older man. "Thank you for that Frederick, I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold back a "Lucy Kick". But you said something about Abaddon needing me for something?"

"You need not thank me, Lady Lucy; I was merely doing what any gentleman would do in such a situation. And yes, Lord Abaddon requested me to bring yourself and Lady Alva to him. He claimed he had good news for you."

Lucy and Alva nodded and followed Frederick as he turned and made his way through the party guests with a grace of movement one would not expect from such a massive man. Eventually he lead the two girls to find Abaddon, still wearing his immaculate white suit, entertaining a throng of women.

"Ah, Milady, you are looking quite ravishing tonight If I do say so myself." Abaddon said in mock praise and with his usual fake smile upon his lips.

"Of course I do, is there ever a time that I do not?" Lucy asked as she raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. Abaddon merely shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in response and Lucy decided to simply move on. "Anyway, I was told that you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Indeed I did, if you'll excuse me ladies I have something to discuss with my Mistress." Abaddon said as he looked back down to the women who were surrounding him.

The ladies all gave off sounds of disappointment as they began to disperse, and many chose to give Lucy a death glare for taking Abaddon away from them but Lucy simply ignored them.

When they were finally alone Abaddon took on a more serious face. "I have received word from a servant of the Lord of Sloth, Aedia, he has finally decided on what your trial shall be and from what I have heard it will be a trial of combat. You should retire early tonight Milady, for tomorrow you shall be facing a difficult fight."

* * *

Lucy was escorted to the throne room the next day with a nervous but with determination clear on her face. She had yet to meet this Lord of Sin, a man by the name of Aedia, but from what Abaddon told her he was everything one would expect from a demon that embodied sloth. The man took everything at his own pace and was slow in all aspects. It wasn't that he had trouble figuring out a trial to give Lucy it was more the fact that he simply found it too troublesome.

The four of them walked in silence through the dreary gray castle until they finally came upon the throne room. There, sprawled out on his throne sat the Lord of Sloth. The man had long black hair that covered most of his face but his mouth was visible and had a clear frown upon it. The man a wore a pair of loose fitting gray pants as well as a gray shirt giving him the appearance of a man who was just lounging on his couch. But what was most unsettling about the man were his limbs. Both his legs and his arms were much longer than a normal person should have been making it seem like someone had grabbed his limbs and pulled.

Lucy was surprised at the demons appearance; she had assumed that because Ira had looked so similar to the Wrath demons under her control that each of the Lords would just be more impressive versions of their lesser counterparts. But this man was nothing like the rock monsters she had been seeing before now.

"Ah, Lord Aedia, it has been quite some time since we had last seen each other." Abaddon said with a slight bow.

Aedia turned slowly to look at him and waved his hand dismissively. "Ah…Abaddon it such a pain to see you again." He said with annoyance in his voice.

Abaddon simply gave a laugh at his reply. "Good to see that the years haven't changed you at all. We are here for Milady's trial. I assume that you remember?"

It was at that moment that Aedia finally turned to look at Lucy and stared at her with the same disinterested eyes. "Ah right…I remember you yelling at me about this…what a pain." The man said with another sigh as he stood up and walked up to stand before Lucy. "I I'm supposed to give you some sort of trial right? But it's just too much of a pain to come up with something to do so I figured we would just play a game of tag." He explained with a tired voice

Lucy frowned at his seemingly uninterested tone but made no comment on it; if this demon just wanted to hand over his pact to her she saw no reason to deny it. "That works for me so why don't we get this party started?" she said with an arrogant smile upon her face.

Aedia simply gave a loud sigh and slowly raised his hand and held it out for a moment. And after what Lucy could only assume was him trying to build suspense he snapped his fingers and the world around them seemed to melt.

Lucy looked around in a panic and saw that the throne room she had been standing in just moments ago had now been replaced with a entirely grey stone arena that was just as massive as the shadowy space that Abaddon had created for her training.

"Alright then…the rules are that you have one hour to try to land a blow on me with whatever means of attack you have. I won't strike you back so don't bother to defend yourself and just focus in trying to hit me…no matter how pathetic your attacks will be." Aedia said in his usual disinterested tone.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't hold back." Lucy growled as she conjured her celestial rapier and awaiting the signal from Abaddon to start.

However, contrary to what she first thought, Abaddon instead walked right up to her and leaned in close. "I will only give you one hint Milady; to succeed you must think in three dimensions if you want to succeed."

Lucy was about to ask about what he meant but Abaddon had already moved way to stand between the two combatants. "Very well then are you two ready?" he asked earning a nod from Lucy and a disinterested shrug from Aedia "Ok then, begin!" he shouted and moved away from the two.

Lucy wasted no time in leaping forward and stabbed her blade forward in hopes of catching Aedia off guard. It didn't matter what Abaddon meant when he had whispered to her if she could finish the fight in her first move.

What happened next was something that Lucy just couldn't understand. The moment that the tip of her blade was about to strike his chest Aedia simply vanished from in front of her like he had been nothing more than a hallucination.

"Hahhh…it just like I thought, u don't have the talent to hold my pact." Aedia's voice sounded off from behind her.

Lucy growled under her breath but otherwise didn't comment on his rudeness. Instead she chose to answer with her magic

 **"Celestial strike: Rain!"** she shouted as her magic gathered into two orbs over her shoulders and exploded into countless shots of magic that rained down on Aedia.

The demon however didn't even flinch as the magic rained down upon him; he simply stared up at the raining magic with a bored look on his face. Then, moments before the magic struck him, his form seemed to waver as the magic passed harmlessly by him.

Lucy scowled even more as she prepared her next magic. " **Celestial strike: Beam!"** she shouted as she sprinted forward as her magic stuck out at the man. If he could avoid a wide area attack then she would simply distract him with a massive attack and slip in while he was distracted.

The beam of dark matter shot forward and struck the ground right in front of Aedia, causing a massive dust cloud to cover Lucy's surroundings. Lucy quickly brought out her blade again as she sprinted into the dust cloud and stabbed out at the place that Aedia had been standing.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want my power." Aedia's voice sounded off from directly behind her.

Lucy yelped cutely and jumped forward and turned her head around with a glare on her face to find Aedia standing there looking bored out of his mind.

"So is the title of Lord of Sloth just a joke then? I don't think someone who embodies laziness should be moving as fast as you."

"No it's true, I'm the Lord of Sloth, and you just don't understand how my powers work. When I move everything within a hundred miles or so slow down by a few milliseconds, not enough for the people affected to notice but it still happens. And all that extra speed becomes mine to control. I slow the world with my very presence." Aedia casually revealed leaving Lucy shocked out of her mind. "Now then are you going to attack again or are you giving up?"

Lucy nervously gulped as she readied her stance again. Something told her that she was going to need every second of the hour she had been given if she wanted to figure out a way of winning.

* * *

It had been about forty five minutes since the beginning of their fight and Lucy was no closer to landing a blow on Aedia now than she had been at the beginning. Every time she was about to strike with either her magic or her blade his form would seem to waver for a second and he would simply vanish from that spot and reappear somewhere else, taunting her all the while. Even when she tried to surprise him with Fleuve d'étoiles he simply disappeared from its path.

"Sigh…at least we only have another ten minutes or so of this farce left before you lose." Aedia casually insulted as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Lucy growled in annoyance as she tried to catch her breath. _Damn it, nothings working!_ She cursed to herself as she tried to think of a new method of attack. Lucy had tried every combination that she could think of. From Summoning her demons while unleashing magical strikes to randomly striking out with her beams in hopes of randomly catching him but nothing had worked so far. Aedia would simply move out of the way of anything she threw at him.

It was then that Lucy finally remembered what Abaddon had given her n the very beginning. From what she had seen Aedia couldn't do precise control when he moved at such speeds. Did Abaddon mean that she should attack from all sides at once? _But how exactly do I do that? I don't have any spells that work that wa-…wait…I do have one. But will I be able to cast it myself this time?_ Lucy thought as she tried to work out a way to win while Aedia simply looked at her like she was growing a second head.

 _Ah well, no harm in trying. I'm running out of magic anyway so no time like the present._ She thought to herself as she pointed her right hand at the demon. "Demons of Wrath; obey my pact and serve your master." She shouted as black flames appeared before her and five massive demons stepped forward. "Beat that bastard down!" she commanded and the wrath demons bellowed and charged forward.

Lucy had no illusion that the five demons would be her trump card but she needed time to complete her spell and they would serve that purpose. Lucy closed her eyes and focused her magic as a golden magic array appeared around her feet.

"Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...

All the stars, far and wide...

Show me thy appearance..."

Aedia didn't have to understand exactly what spell she was casting, he could plainly see the immense amount of magic she was gathering and could tell that she intended to end their game with this move. He quickly jumped away from one of the wrath demons and readied himself for whatever was coming.

"With such shine.

Oh Tetrabiblos...

I am the ruler of the stars...

Aspect become complete..."

 _It's not enough…I need all my magic if I'm going to end this here!_

"Open thy malevolent gate.

Oh 88 Stars of the heaven...

Shine!

 **Urano Metria!"**

The moment that Lucy finished her spell the entirety of the grey space that Aedia had created was blasted away, leaving a sky filled to the brim with shooting stars ,planets, meteors, and other celestial bodies glowing brightly and surrounding them.

Lucy could hear the gasps of surprise and shock from her friends behind her but she didn't have time to think too deeply on them. This Urano Metria was far more powerful than the one that she had used against Angel and was using all of her concentration just to maintain the spell.

"T-this is…" Aedia murmured with the first bit of emotion Lucy had ever heard from the demon; surprise.

"That's right, this is…" Lucy smirked as she slowly pointed her right hand at Aedia. "…the end of our game!" she shouted as she released the fury of the heavens. Night sky that surrounded them glowed even brighter as the stars descended upon the Lord of Sloth and even with his ungodly speed was unable to avoid the entirety of the spell.

When the dust from the explosion of magic finally settled it was Lucy who was standing and Aedia who had fallen on his rear, a surprised look still on his face.

"That spell…what exactly was that?" Aedia said in a dazed sounding voice as reality returned to the throne room they had been standing in an hour previously.

"That was Urano Metria, the ultimate spell of the stars." Lucy explained with a victorious smirk on her face. "It's the most powerful spell in my arsenal."

"Luce…that was beautiful." Alva's voice sounded off from behind Lucy with barely contained emotion.

Lucy turned back to her companions to find each of them with tears in the corners of their eyes or just flat out crying in the case of Alva. "W-what's wrong everyone!" she asked in panic before she remembered something she had forgotten. No one in this world had ever seen the stars.

"Indeed Milady, it has been quite a long time since I have seen a night sky like the one you just conjured. It was moving enough to bring a tear to my eye." Abaddon gushed as he wiped his eyes.

Lucy cringed as Frederick and Alva nodded in agreement to Abaddon and laughed as Alva leapt into her arm and started congratulating her on her victory.

"…well I've got to admit…I didn't think that you would surround me with stars in order to win the fight…I guess I concede." Aedia said, returning to his bored tone.

Lucy turned back to Aedia, with one of her arms draped over Alva's shoulder and the other petting the young girl on the head, earning a satisfied hum from the girl. "Well I figured if you could move so fast that I couldn't even see you that I might as well attack everywhere at the same time."

"Well at least we're done…let's just get this pact over with so I can go rest." Aedia said as he held out his hand and looked to Lucy expectantly.

Lucy nodded and held out her own right and tensed slightly as Aedia reached out and lightly tapped her guild mark. The second he made contact a blue spark passed between them and Lucy's magic suddenly exploded around her. Suddenly her mind was overcome with a feeling of tiredness the likes of which she had never felt before but just like before it disappeared as a strange feeling washed through her mind.

"Congratulations, Miss Lucy, you now have the privilege of holding the pact of all Sloth demons. Now if you wouldn't mind I'd leaving I'd like to go to bed."

 **Sorry for the delay on this one, work got in the way. for those of you who actually read these notes at the end i wanted to ask something. do people want me to go into detail on how Lucy gets each pact? i have plans for most of Lucys time in Underworld but for a few parts I'm still kind of iffy on. would you all rather i just go over the major points and get Lucy on to the next stage of the story or would you rather see her obtain each piece of her new power. Let me know and thanks again for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**i know that i said a few chapters ago that i didn't really intend to do any of the Tenrou** **arc but after getting a suggestion from another user (shout out to Johnny Spectre) I felt that we should give Natsu a chapter all to himself. Hope you all enjoy!**

Natsu moved through the forest with such speed that he was surprised that he hadn't run face first into a tree. Happy flew over his head as he led the way to the strange scent that he had picked up just after the start of the second part of the trial. From the start of the trial announcement till now things had been going from bad to worse for Natsu. To start with he had started to lose it when someone mentioned Lucy's name in the guild hall during the three weeks up until the start of the trials. He would never want to hurt his family normally but there was just something about someone saying her name that would just set him off and he had been forced to spend more and more time away from the guild.

Adding onto that were the nightmares. Ever since he had betrayed her Natsu had been having horrific nightmares all involving the blonde celestial mage. He would see her standing before him wearing a white dress and smiling at him with her natural brilliant smile as she stood in the forest that Natsu made his home in. But every time he would try to run to her, to hold her and beg for her forgiveness the dream would change. When Natsu got close enough to her to reach out and touch her a flame would burst out from her stomach. Lucy's face would then contort in pain and shock as she stared at him with tears in her eyes. In that moment the sky above them would turn blood red and the trees that had been just moments before swaying gently in the wind would burst into flames, shrouding everything in ash and smoke. Then, just before his fingers could brush against hers, she would fall backwards into a chasm that had not been there seconds ago. Natsu would scream out her name but the only response he would get as she fell down into the inky darkness was a single word.

"…Why…?"

Natsu would wake up screaming so loud that it hurt. It was always the same, he could never reach her, he could never tell her how sorry he was and deep down he knew that he had no right to ever tell her. The only way he had found to force away the nightmare was to sleep with Lucy's old blanket, something the Guild had been keeping in storage along with all her old possessions since Lucy's passing. Even with her smell fading after three months away from her Natsu could still pretend that it was his best friend that he had fallen asleep next to rather than her memory.

Happy would simply watch Natsu through tear filled eyes as he tried desperately to fall asleep or when he woke screaming into the night with tears rolling down his cheeks. Happy knew that Natsu had taken her passing much harder than anyone at the guild fully realized but he didn't know what to do. He had asked the Master about it but Makarov simply said that Natsu needed to work through this himself, and that when he was finally ready to talk about it his family would be there for him. And so Happy helped Natsu train himself half to death over the three weeks up to the S-class trials.

Happy had been shocked when Natsu had admitted to Gildarts during the first part of the trail how he had learned what fear was three months ago when Lucy died, and that fear had been driving him ever to become stronger ever since. The older man had simply stared at Natsu with a solemn expression before reminding him that fear did not make him weak, but that knowing what you fear can make you stronger and kinder than you were before. And that accepting what you've lost doesn't make you a cold person, but that moving forward with your memories of what you've lost helps keep what you've lost alive.

They had just started the second part of the trial when Natsu suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. His face contorted as he turned and sprinted off saying that there was something foul in the air.

Natsu reached the edge of a cliff to see a man wearing almost all black holding his head in pain and Elfman and Evergreen standing before him but slowly backing away. The black haired man suddenly screamed out in pain and a swirling black cloud appeared around him. Natsu wasn't sure exactly what the black wind was, but he could tell that it was bad news for anyone who got caught up in it.

"Get down!" Natsu screamed as he jumped down and pushed Elfman and Evergreen to the ground as the black wind passed just overhead.

For a moment no one moved, there was simply the sound the now dead trees creaking in the wind. But Natsu quickly looked up and starred furiously at the man. "Who the Hell are you?" he growled in a low voice.

"…It's really you…Natsu…you've grown so much." The man said with barely contained emotion and started crying as he stared right at Natsu. "And you're even close to waking up…but how…?" the man continued in a strange tone of voice.

"I don't know who you are but this island belongs to Fairy Tail! Get the hell off our island!" Natsu shouted as he leapt forward and punched the man in the face, much to the shock of Happy and the others.

The man spiraled through the air but landed gracefully a few feet away with a smile on his face. "I see…it looks like it is still a little early for us to meet. It looks like the world will continue to reject me…but at the very least I can see the end of the road." And with that the man turned to leave but looked over his shoulder at Natsu with nostalgic smile on his face. "Until next time Natsu."

"Hold it!" Natsu shouted but the man was already gone, seeming to vanish into thin air.

"What the hell was that?" Natsu questioned to no one in particular as he walked back to Happy and the others.

"Who ever he was he was most certainly not manly!" Elfman shouted as he shook his fists in the air.

"Hey, what should we do about the trial? Shouldn't we tell the others about this?" Happy asked worriedly as he flew over to Natsu's shoulder.

"Hell no Happy, I promised Gildarts that I would pass this trial, plus…I need to do this for Lucy too." Natsu said becoming quieter till the point that only he could hear the end of the sentence.

"Exactly, it wouldn't be very manly to give up in the middle of a fight Elfman said as he walked up to Natsu and stared down at him challengingly.

"Gods you two…at least tell the others that there is a stranger on the island if you see them." Evergreen sighed before moving to stand next to Elfman.

"Right; come on Happy, let's go."

"Aye sir!" Happy shouted as he moved behind Natsu and carried him off into the air. Unfortunately, no one there knew exactly how bad things were about to get.

* * *

Natsu's fist struck one of the masked men with a satisfying crunch and sent the intruder flying backwards into his companions. It had only been an hour or so since Natsu and Happy left Evergreen and Elfman and out of nowhere people wearing purple outfits and wielding various weaponry. The intruders instantly started to attack with abandon and Natsu was more than happy to meet them head on. He had to admit that he enjoyed the sound of his fist breaking bones and the smell of his flames burring flesh. It was something he had never noticed before in his time with Team Natsu but now it was such an obvious fact that he wondered how he had never noticed it before. The satisfied feelings were almost enough to numb the pain of what he did to Lucy.

When the final foe crumpled under a devastating kick Natsu finally took the time to examine his surroundings. He was standing in a different part of the forest from when the fighting had started and he couldn't see his little blue friend anywhere around. _Happy must have gotten separated in the fighting._ He thought to himself as he looked through the strangers hoping to find one who was still conscious.

It was at that moment that he caught a scent that he hadn't been expecting to find in the middle of this forest, it was the scent of Gramps. Natsu dropped the man he had been shaking awake and jumped up, sprinting in the direction that the scent was coming from. Natsu was sure that the First Masters grave would be no where around here and if Gramps was out here than he was certainly fighting against the intruders, something he confirmed moments later when he detected a new scent almost right on top of Gramps's smell.

When he finally reached the spot he smelled Gramps at he was met with a sight that stopped him in his tracks. Before him was a massive crater that could only be the site of an intense battle. In the center of which was Gramps, lying face down in a pool of his own blood. The old man looked closer to death than Natsu had ever seen him and it scared him to the point where he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, all he could do was stare.

Natsu was so shocked by the Masters appearance that his mind almost didn't register the strange creature standing over him. Natsu wasn't sure exactly what it was but he could only describe it as a mixture between a goat and a person and was wearing a dark suit and matching black sunglasses.

The goat man was standing just to the side of Gramps and had strange magic slowly rising from his body, a strange magic that was slowly starting to envelope the old man.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to Gramps!?" Natsu screamed as he leapt at the creature with his fists already covered in flames.

The goat creature jumped away before Natsu's fist could connect and simply stared passively at him. "I was order here by Master Hades in order to subjugate Master Makarov. I did not expect another fairy to show up." It said in an almost bored sounding tone. "But it is of little consequence, I Caprico, member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory shall be your opponent."

Natsu glared at Caprico with a look that even Erza would step back from. "I don't care who you are but I won't allow you to take another person from my family away."

"You are in no position to stop me, dragon slayer." Caprico declared in his neutral tone and rushed right up to Natsu and planted a fist right under his chin.

The two moved back and forth in a flurry of blows. Natsu had to avoid using too much power or he risked further injuring Gramps, while not next to them as they had moved away from the crater but still close enough to be caught in an explosion. But even with his fists covered in flames he hadn't managed to land a single clean hit on the man-goat. Luckily his foe was having similarly bad luck. The goat man had unleashed his dark magic multiple times but, besides for giving Natsu a strange feeling in his gut, inflicted no actual damage on him.

After landing a blow on Caprico's chest and sending him sliding backwards Natsu did not imminently follow up, instead he just tried to regain his breathing and stared down his opponent.

Caprico on the other hand looked at Natsu with a confused expression for a moment before standing up full and staring the boy down. "Tell me something boy…"

"What?" Natsu questioned, not dropping his guard for even a second.

"…why do I sense the blood of the Heartfilia's upon you?" he asked with a voice that sounded like he was simply asking directions to the nearest store.

Natsu's world seemed to stop with along with his heart as he stared wied eyed at the goat before him. _H-how…how does he know!_ Natsu thought to himself in panic as he inadvertently took a step back. "I…I don't know what you're talking about." He stammered out as he tried to hide how unsettled he was by the question.

Caprico, however, was not so easily deceived. "You cannot hide it from me, Natsu Dragneel. My body is bound to the Heartfilia bloodline. I have been feeling the pull of my contract from the moment you stood before me but I know for a fact that Layla Heartfilia had no male children. So then that begs the question why you reek of their blood. Is it perhaps you have a connection with her daughter?" the Goat man asked in a tone that became more disgusted as he went on.

Natsu clenched his teeth so hard that he was surprised that they didn't shatter under the pressure. No one should speak of Lucy in that tone of voice. "I did…she died three months ago."

The Goat man's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before a creepy grin surfaced on his face. "I see…I see." He said as he started to chuckle to himself loudly. "Then I have to ask, what was it like to kill the little whore?"

Natsu almost choked at Caprico's accusation, he couldn't understand how this stranger had put everything together so perfectly.

"Its quite simple really, the only reason I would sense the blood of a Heartfilia on you is if you had quite literally had the blood of a Heartfilia on you." Caprico explained as with a smile filled with malice. "I must admit though, I was hoping to be the one to end Layla's daughter myself. Or perhaps make her into my toy with my magic. But to think that one of her comrades would be the one to end her."

Natsu starred at the ground with a blank look on his face while Caprico continued to monologue. His mind was a swirling vortex of emotions that he couldn't even begin to understand, but there was one that stood out apart from the others…

"Well then, let me thank you. Natsu Dragneel, thank you very much for killing Lucy Heartfilia."

…Natsu felt pure rage.

In a second the entirety of Natsu's surroundings were consumed by his fire. This was not his normal dragons' fire however, this fire was darker in its coloring and as it burned it released an almost human like scream which gave the fire an almost demonic quality.

Caprico jumped back in shock as the fire increased in size, seeming to be hungry to devour everything and anything that stood in its way. And within this unholy flame stood Natsu, his eyes glowing with a pale yellow light and looking almost exactly like a dragons eyes complete with a dragons rage. Caprico wasn't sure what this fire meant but he could tell one thing for certain, this fire was dangerous.

"Open, Hunter of Belparaso, Samagui!" Caprico shouted as he finally began to use his human subordination magic. The hunter instantly took aim at the dragon slayer but before he could even fire off a single arrow Natsu had disappeared from his sight and reappeared directly before him, striking the hunter with enough fire that even the man's scream of agony was engulfed in the ravenous flames.

Caprico quickly summoned more of his human minions to join the battle but they all meet a similar fate to the first, quickly being consumed in Natsus strange fire. "D-damn it, why isn't my human subjugation magic working?!" he wondered out loud as he once again tried to affect the dragon slayer with his magic. Normally, so long as his foe was human, no attack would be able to strike him but now Natsu's flames were slowly wrapping their way around their little section of the forest, effectively cutting off the goats escape path. "This isn't how things are supposed to go, I was supposed to be the one with all the power!" the goat screamed as he tried in vain to find an escape path.

"There is no escape, for you or for me." Came an almost emotionless voice from within the flames. In the next moment Natsu stumbled into the clearing with a haunted but still very clearly pissed look on his face. "I won't forgive you for what you said about Lucy, she suffered enough in life and doesn't deserve your insults in death."

"Y-you monster!" Caprico screamed out as he took a step back.

Natsu starred at his foe that was still slowly moving away, and gave a predatory smile. "I might not be much better than you but that's neither here nor there." Natsu then raised his hand and simply pointed at the goat in front of him. "…die…" he coldly declared as he unleashed his flames, quickly overtaking the man.

Surprisingly however, the goat did not instantly burn away. Instead the goat seemed to split into two beings, one the goat he had been fighting this whole time and the other a short man with black hair and pale skin. The man screamed in agony as the flames slowly but surely consumed his extremities the man turned to look at the Goat that had fallen to the ground behind him and Natsu could have sworn he heard the man scream out the name Capricorn but in the next second he was gone, leaving not even ash in his death.

Natsu stared at the flames that were slowly consuming the forest around him, normally he would be unsettled by their ominous color and sound as they burnt away the trees but in that moment the fire felt good to him. _Maybe…maybe I should just let this fire burn me away too…that way I can finally ask Lucy for forgiveness in person and the nightmare can stop._ Natsu couldn't help but think as the fire moved in closer and, despite his immunity to fire, started to burn his skin.

But a golden glow brought Natsu's attention back to his surroundings as he noticed something strange happening to the goat man who had been left behind. The goat's body started to glow with a golden light that Natsu was more than familiar with and slowly began to dissolve into golden particles. And when the entirety glow had dissipated only a small golden key was left in his place.

Natsu felt the strength leave his body as he fell to his knees and slowly reached out for the key. His fingers passed through the flames leaving his skin hotter than he had ever felt before but he did not care. Slowly, as if he was handling a piece of glass on the verge of shattering, Natsu gingerly picked up the key and brought it to his chest.

The Key was warm to the touch, not because of the strange fire that burned around him, but because of what the key meant to him. It was a key similar to those that Natsu had seen nearly every day he spent with his partner, a Zodiac key.

Fresh tears began to fall from his eyes as he stared down at the spoils from his battle and a wave of memories washed over him. He could see Lucy smiling at him as they sat at the counter back at the bar. He could feel her hand gently moving through his hair as she comforted him during a train ride. He saw as she stood up to help him in his fight against Gajeel, despite all the pain she had been through that day. And last but not least, he could see the content look on her face as she polished her golden keys during one of the many evenings he had spent in her room.

"Luce…Luce…" Natsu choked out like a mantra as he hunched over and began to sob.

For a second there he had given up, let his anger and disgust with himself get the better of him and nearly causing him to take the easy way out. Natsu knew that if Lucy were still there she would be pissed at him for giving up. His blonde teammate didn't seem to know the definition of giving up even in the direst of circumstances and no matter what pain she had gone through. How could Natsu be living on for her if he have up here.

"I'm sorry Luce. I promised that I would only rest when I found the reason that you had to die and I meant every word I said that day. I won't stop until I find my dad and find the truth. And then I can finally rest and see you again." Natsu said as he renewed his vow and grasped the Zodiac key tightly to his chest, deciding then and there to keep it as a reminder of his vow.

Natsu stood back up and tucked the key in the safest place he could think of, inside of his scarf, and looked around. The flames that had been burning the forest had all but vanished and those that remained had returned back to their normal color and Natsu could no longer feel the strange heat coming from them.

Natsu was curious what the fire had been but his dragon hearing picked up on a groaning sound coming from the way he came. Natsu quickly realized that the Master was likely waking up and needed help so Natsu didn't give the clearing a second thought before turning back the way he came and sprinting to the aid of Makarov.

* * *

The shadow watched from a safe distance as the salmon haired target ran back into the shade of the trees and out of its sight. Despite not truly having a consciousness of its own the shadow could tell just how dangerous that fire had been and had no desire to fall prey to it, hence its distance from the battle. But now that the fire was gone it slowly moved from shadow to shadow in pursuit of its target. Whatever those flames had been they were not the flames of a dragon but the shadow did not have the knowledge of what they could have come from. The shadow had also been quite wary of the man in black, the magic of whom could even end its existence if it had been even a little closer.

The Shadow would have sighed if it had a mouth, it was certain that its master would want to know everything that had just transpired and it could tell that its job would be all the more dangerous from here on out.

 **Well that was a fun chapter to write. i decided to skip the battle with Zancrow but i don't see that fight going any differently even with Lucy missing so no point in writing it out. Next chapter will be going back to Lucy and is going to have a time skip plus the introduction of another important character. I do have plans to show one more scene from Tenrou but ill save that for a flashback later down the line. Until next time**


	10. Chapter 10

**sorry for the delay on this chapter guys, got really busy with work and lets just say that i got distracted with something else (cough cough...destiny...cough). anyways hope you all enjoy this latest chapter.**

One year, Lucy couldn't help but think of the entire year that she had spent in Underworld as she approached the citadel of Greed. If she was being entirely honest with herself she had been having such fun exploring this strange new world and becoming stronger than she would have ever thought possible that she had almost forgotten the real reason that she was here. Almost.

Abaddon had explained to her in their travels that so long as she did not have a beating heart the scar upon her stomach would forever remain, and that her body would be unable to grow again until that day. They had tried multiple times to find strong demons and replace her stopped heart but each time the demons heart would simply burst before Abaddon could place it within her. After trying a few more times Abaddon simply said that a normal demons heart would simply not be enough for Lucy's level of magic. As such the only choice they apparently had was to take the heart of a dragon, something that most dragons would not be very willing to give up.

It had not been all bad however, over the past year she had managed to obtain two more pacts; the pact with the Mistress of Envy, and a pact with the Lord of Gluttony. The Lord of Gluttony, Gutha, had simply had Lucy eat a massive feast in order to obtain his pact. Gutha was a massive man who looked like a stereotypical head merchant. The man looked like someone had pumped a man full of air because Gutha was as round as inflated ball. Lucy would have been disgusted by his appearance when she first met him if it weren't for the fact that she was so curious how his body was able to move around with so much weight.

Surprisingly, the demon of Gluttony had actually been a decent person. During the entirety of their feast he would crack jokes and slap Lucy merrily upon her back when she would make a joke of her own. and when they had all finished the meal he had merely reached over and tapped her pink mark, granting her the pact of Gluttony. From then on she was able to fully command all of his demons, which were pretty much giant mouths with legs attached that could devour anything, even magic, but were not capable of growing stronger from their food like dragon slayers were capable of.

From there they went to see the Mistress of Envy, a demon going by the name Invia, who was quite the strange looking demon. She looked like a complete shadow that had no real defined shape or looks besides eyes that were entirely white. The moment that someone approached however her shadowy form would take the appearance of said person, only with her voice still coming out from their mouth. This of course led to a moment where a fake Frederick was standing before Lucy and spoke with the voice of a young lady, causing Lucy to lose it and fall to the floor in laughter, much to the dismay of the old warrior.

Invia's challenge had been quite difficult. She had shown Lucy a vision and had told her that she would pass her challenge if she could keep herself under control. At first her vision was of nothing but darkness, but then slowly a city started to form around her. A city that she was quite familiar with. The familiar view of Magnolia surrounded Lucy causing nostalgia to almost overwhelm her but she kept it under wraps. Lucy had sworn to obtain each Pact and she would be damned if she lost one just because she was feeling home sick.

Slowly the vision changed till she was standing just outside of her home, the Fairy Tail guild hall. Lucy subconsciously brought her hand up to her chest and clenched it so tight that it started to hurt. Here she was, at the place that had led to some of her greatest joy and some of her most miserable moments. More than anything she just wanted to walk through those giant wooden doors and shout out that she was home. But deep down she knew that she may never get that chance again.

It was at that moment that a group of people opened those front doors and walked out into the sunlight, a group of people that caused Lucy's breath to literally stop. There, standing before her was Team Natsu exactly as she remembered them. Erza was there with her massive wagon of luggage behind her, a faint smile upon her lips as she watched the others. Gray, already missing his shirt, was staring off into space with a contemplative look on his face. Wendy was there as well smiling as she talked to Happy and Carla who were hovering just over her head.

And walking forward in the middle of the group was a Natsu with his trademarked grin and Lisanna who was giggling at something Natsu had said.

In a second Lucy's mind completely halted. Here she was, fighting against demons and doing everything that she could to return back to Earthland and confront Natsu about what he had done and he had simply moved on? He just replaced her with Lisanna? Was that all that she was to him?

Lucy could feel her fury flood into her mind and for a second she contemplated strolling forward and sending the lot of them to an early grave but just before she lost control she remembered what Invia had told her, what her test really was. After Lucy took a deep breath and closed her eyes she forced herself to think of her new family. She thought of Alva and the young girl's innocent smile, she thought of Frederick and his constant politeness. She even thought about Abaddon's constant infuriating attitude.

When she opened her eyes she was no longer standing in front of her guild hall but was once again faced with the Mistress of Envy. Invia had commented that she had been quite impressed that Lucy had managed to keep her emotions in check and wasted no time in granting her the Pact of Envy, giving her control of yet another type of demons. Invia too had hosted a feast in honor after all was said and done and Lucy found it surprisingly easy to get along with the Mistress of Envy. So long as one could get over her envious stares whenever you did something she was a surprisingly nice person. And since Lucy had long ago adapted to the envious stares of Juvia she had no trouble dealing with Invia

She had discovered from conversations with Abaddon that Envy demons behaved in a similar fashion to Gemini, each demon was able to copy a single spell from their opponent to the point where apparently Invia would be able to copy everything about a person just from the mention of their name, something Lucy was no doubt going to find very useful in the future.

Not all their travels had led their group to just the Lords of Hell. Occasionally Abaddon or Frederick would speak up about a particularly powerful demon that lived in the area, informing Lucy that it would be in her best interest to force them to serve her as well. So far she had found quite a few of what Alva had declared would be called "Arch demons" including one who had the nickname of the King of the Sea, Leviathan. As well as a powerful demon of wrath that went by the name of Azrael.

* * *

All of this had led Lucy and her friends to the city of Greed, a city formed of massive towers of what appeared to be pure gold. The city shined brightly in the mid morning sun to the point that Lucy had to squint her eyes to see where she was going. All in all it was a city that Lucy couldn't help but dislike, its seeing obsession with wealth reminding her too much of her father.

Her dislike of the domain of greed only continued to grow as she was introduced to the Lord of Greed; Avirta. Lucy took one look at him on his golden throne and his form, which appeared human but was adorned with golden robes, and couldn't help but think about how quickly she wanted to get this trial done with.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Lord Abaddon and company." The demon said in a voice that was full of mockery. "Now I trust you have a reason for appearing before me, would you care to explain yourself?" the man said as he continued to ignore Lucy."

"Milady and I have appeared before you in order to obtain your pact." Abaddon said with a slight frown upon his face.

It was at this point that the demon finally turned to look down at Lucy, eyeing her up and down until Lucy wanted to shake in disgust. "I see… so this is the one who has been going around and gather our power then?" he said with a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

"Indeed I am, I am known as Lucy and it is a…"pleasure" to meet you." Lucy said as she forced herself to smile as the demon looked at her like she was a piece of meat. But at the very least it was something she had gotten used to over the years at her father's parties.

"Hahh…I guess that I need to come up with a trial for you." The demon said with a with a sigh as he placed his hand to his head in apparent thought, but Lucy could tell by the half smile on his lips that he had already decided on what she would be forced to do. "Ah! I know! I have the perfect thing for you. You see, I have a personal library that has fallen into disorder over the past hundred years and even with a librarian I hired recently it still is in shambles. Within said library is a book that contains the origins of celestial magic along with the three grand celestial spells. I have always been curious about. I would have you retrieve that book and bring it back."

Lucy stared up at the man in confusion; she had expected something along the line of battle or at the very least something challenging but to find a book? There had to be more to this than he was letting on.

"What do you think? This way I get to satisfy my curiosity of your magic while you get to become even stronger. We both benefit." He said with a stereotypical evil grin on his face.

Lucy frowned for a second but in the end her response had been decided before she had even stepped into the demons chambers. "Of course, Lord Avirta, I would be happy to retrieve said book for you." She said with a curtsey and immediately turned around and moved to walk away. She stopped however when she saw that Abaddon had yet to move. "Is something wrong Abaddon?" she questioned tentatively, to which the demon simply smiled at her.

"It is nothing Milady, but I would ask that you and the others retire early for the day, you have quite the task in front of you and you could use every advantage you can get." Abaddon said with a casual wave of his hand.

Lucy found his actions odd, as she had never seen him put on quite so serious of a face, but in the end followed his instructions and left with the others for the hotel rooms they had rented before. When the group had finally shuffled out of the audience chamber Abaddon once again turned to look at Avirta, this time his features were colored by barely contained rage.

"What exactly do you think you're doing, Avirta?" Abaddon spat out as he stared daggers at his fellow Lord.

"Why whatever do you mea-." Avirta started but Abaddon would have none of it.

"You and I both know that she alone has no chance of ever tracking down that book in your collection, you have set her on the path of failure." Abaddon said as he turned to walk away. "But know this; if you ever truly put Milady in danger just to satisfy your own greed I will not hesitate to destroy you. She is far too important to Underworld to fail here." And with that he strolled away.

Avirta sat alone in the room for a moment before smirking to himself. "Say what you want Abaddon, but I refuse to be bound to such a child. I will never allow her to obtain my power."

The next day Lucy and her team had gathered outside of a seemingly unimportant building that stood just within the confines of the Palace of Greed. Lucy had been informed by the staff at the palace that this was the site of Avirta's book collection. While the building was most certainly big, it wasn't so large that the task before her would be considered impossible.

"Milady." Abaddon said with a stern tone. "You have the supplies I prepared for you correct? Since this is your task the rest of us will have to remain outside." Abaddon explained as he stole a quick glance up at the library.

"Ill be fine Abaddon, it's only a book." Lucy waved off his concern as she bent down to give Alva a hug and nodding to Frederick. "I see you guys latter!" she shouted as she ran to the door, waving over her shoulder as she went inside.

It was only after her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting did Lucy become fully aware of what Abaddon had been so cautious of. Before her was something that Lucy could only describe as a world of books spreading out before her. Lucy was standing on a ledge that was overlooking a massive cylinder shaped chamber that both extended far into the sky and deep into the earth that was absolutely covered in books. There were very few lights that illuminated the inside gave the place an almost nighttime feel and the air within was incredibly dry, likely to keep the books in good condition. Lucy looked back to the door she had just come from and found the door the same as she had seen on the other side, meaning she hadn't just been suck into yet another new world.

"What in the hell happened?" Lucy mumbled to herself as she continued to look around. "There's no way all of this fit into that tiny building that I just walked into." Lucy continued to look around in hopes that this was all some elaborate illusion but as time continued to march on and nothing changed she was forced to admit that this was indeed the Library of Avirta. "Well then, I guess I better get to work then." She said with a shrug as she turned to the nearest shelf and started to look at their titles."

* * *

Lucy wanted to scream in frustration but surrounded by so many books she felt like it would be just wrong to disturb the peace. It had been close to three days since she had entered into this damn library and while she had seen plenty of interesting books in that time she had yet to find anything relating to Celestial magic. She had started to eat through the food reserves that Abaddon had prepared for her and was so desperate for another voice that she had caught herself talking out loud a few too many times.

It was only after she found her third book about the mating habits of wild envy demons did she finally sigh in frustration. "God this is frustrating, how exactly does anyone find anything in a place like this." She asked to no one in particular.

"I understand completely, not even I wanted to organize those books." A voice sounded off from behind her.

This time Lucy did scream as she jumped up and turned around to face her attacker, or that's what she intended to do but instead she had been so startled she tripped over her own feet and landed face first into a pile of books that had been sitting nearby.

Lucy was mumbling a few curses as she tried to untangle herself from the pile of books when a hand showed up in the side of her vision.

"You all right there?" a clearly masculine voice asked in a bored tone.

Lucy looked up to find a boy about her age staring down at her with a amused expression. He was short compared to most boys she new, only slightly taller than Lucy's own height, and was so pale that he could give Gray a run for his money. His hair was a light blue that was so pale it almost looked to be white instead and was so long that if it weren't for his deep voice Lucy would have assumed he was a woman instead. His eyes on the other hand were an almost ocean blue and the glasses he wore on his face seemed to draw even more attention to his eyes.

"Ya, I guess so, just surprised to hear another voice in here." Lucy explained sheepishly as she grabbed his hand and let him pull her back onto her feet.

"That I can understand, I myself was quite surprised to see you looking over the books when I came up behind you." The young man explained as he pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But nonetheless I must ask what you are doing in here. Are you not aware that this is the private collection of the Lord of Greed?" the young man asked as he glared slightly at Lucy.

"Of course I know, that's exactly why I'm here. I was given a trial to find a specific book." Lucy explained getting somewhat annoyed at the man's half glare. "Anyway what exactly are you doing here?" Lucy questioned as she pointed a finger at his chest.

"Isn't it natural for a librarian to be in a library?" the man questioned as if he was talking to a child.

Lucy blinked in surprise as she recalled Avirta mentioning something about a librarian; she just hadn't expected to actually meet anyone there." Ah…right…now that you mention it I do remember him mentoring you." Lucy explained as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Well then I might as well introduce myself; my names Lucy and I'm here to earn the Pact of Greed. I'm also a celestial mage and it's nice to meet you." Lucy explained as she held out a hand and smiled slightly.

The young man's eyes widened at her introduction and his mouth fell slightly open. "Y-you're a pact holder as well as a celestial mage?!" he asked in a voice filled with wonder, to which Lucy only nodded in response having fully expected this reaction.

What she hadn't expected was for the young man to grab her hands tightly and stare at her in wonder. "We need to talk…right now." He declared and pulled her towards a nearby ledge before she could even cry out in surprise.

"Hey hang on a sec-." Lucy tried to make him stop but he wasn't paying attention. Instead he pulled her off the edge. But at the moment that one would expect gravity to start its pull Lucy instead felt herself accelerate straight into the sky. Lucy looked around in wonder and saw the endless rows of bookshelves speed past as the two of them flew up towards the top of the library. As the wind buffeted her Lucy couldn't help it when a large grin covered her face. She had always enjoyed flying when Happy had been willing to carry her and had sorely missed the feeling of freedom it gave her.

After a few minutes of exhilarating weightlessness the two of them finally arrived at the very top of the massive chamber. There Lucy found what she could only describe as a home built entirely out of books. Lucy cast a curious gaze at the young man who had essentially kidnapped her but he seemed entirely unfazed by the strange abode before them so Lucy decided to just let it pass.

The young man walked through the front door without even inviting her in so Lucy simply decided to follow after him and let herself in as well. Inside she was not even the least bit surprised to find the inside of the house also covered in books, but these were in massive piles the covered the floor rather than being used as architecture. What did surprise her was that there was actually furniture made out of wood dotting the house.

The young man sat at a table and turned to look at Lucy expectantly. "Well, go ahead and start."

Lucy stared at him for a full minute before jumping through the air and placing a "Lucy Kick" straight into his stomach and sending him flying backwards into a pile of books. "First off I have no idea what exactly you mean and secondly you never even introduced yourself before kidnapping me. Even for the company I keep that's a little much."

The man extracted himself from the pile of books with ease and looked at Lucy with a face of realization. "Ah of course, how idiotic of me. My name is Roland and I serve as both the organizer and head librarian for this place." The young man named Roland said as he gave a polite bow. "And as far as what I want from you that is quite simple really, I want you to tell me everything about yourself."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at that. "Everything?" she confirmed and received a simple nod in response. "It's going to take a little bit of time." Lucy explained but Roland simply waved off her concerns. "Well ok then." Lucy said as she took a seat at the table Roland had been sitting at mere moments ago. "Settle in because this might take awhile."

Lucy spoke for what seemed like hours about anything and everything that came to mind while Roland watched and listened like a child listening to a bedtime story. Lucy went over everything she could think of, from her days in the mansion to her days at Fairy Tail. Roland had been particularly interested in Lucy's magic explanation. Lucy had no problem showing him her keys when he had asked and Roland looked at each like a child looked at a new toy.

It was at that moment that Roland decided to show off his own magic, which he introduced as tome magic. While his description had of course been overly long and complex from what Lucy could understand so long as he was able to understand the magical formula of a spell and how exactly it was used he would be able to transcribe it into a book that he kept on his person at all times. It was using this magic that Roland had reversed the flow of gravity on the two and brought them to the top of the building.

"so as long as you can identify and dissect a magic you are able to use it yourself? That seems pretty useful." Lucy commented as he finished explaining.

"Not quite; magic such as yours, which summons beings through the use of a contract is impossible for me to use, as I myself do not have such a contract. I am also unable to recreate most holder type magics without the items that enable the magic." Roland refuted. "But Lucy there is one thing that I am confused about. How exactly did you manage to get to Underworld? The Bifrost, the pathway from this world to all others, was damaged beyond repair almost three hundred years ago. How exactly did you manage to come from this Earthland of yours?"

Lucy's smiled faltered for a second when her mind inevitably returned back to that faithful day. "That would be Abaddon coming to save my life. He was the first to offer a pact to me and I guess he brought me here to save my life."

Roland frowned at that and placed his hand on his chin. "Lord Abaddon? But he was the one who…did he decide to forgive him…?" Roland mumbled to himself seeming to have forgotten about Lucy's presence.

"u-umm…hello?" Lucy asked as she waved a hand in front of Roland's face, startling him and forcing his gaze back upon her.

"Ah I apologize; I was simply not expecting it to have been Lord Abaddon who would come to your rescue." Roland explained. "While I cannot really aid you in your search for this book I can offer you a place to sleep and food to eat." Roland then stood and made his way over to a cupboard in the corner of the room. "Well then would you like something to eat?"

"Sure, living off of just rations has been infuriating." Lucy said with a smile.

* * *

It had been almost a month since Lucy had entered the Library and she was finally starting to enjoy her time here. She had been taking more of her time with each section. While Roland so far had been standing by his word of not interfering with the trial he had given her pointers on how to search more effectively. Roland had also suggested that she spend some time simply lightly reading some of the books that interested her, as continuously searching would do nothing but stress her out.

Lucy was currently lightly reading a book that dealt with theories on something it called "The One Magic", something that sounded so familiar to Lucy but she couldn't quite place it. Lucy, growing bored with the book, placed it back among its brethren and felt a slight surge of magic approaching from above her, signaling the fact that Roland was quickly approaching.

Lucy smiled at the thought of getting to spend more time with the inquisitive young man. She had learned over the past weeks that he had an almost insatiable desire for knowledge and it was that desire that brought him here to work as the librarian and brought him almost daily to watch as Lucy worked and occasionally asking her questions about her original world. Lucy had originally been somewhat annoyed at his occasional interruptions but over time she had grown to enjoy the human contact, something that books could never replicate.

"Good evening Lucy; have you had any more luck finding your book?" Roland asked as he landed with the grace of a cat and looked at her with an analytical gaze.

"Evening? I was under the impression it was still early afternoon." Lucy whined as she looked over more book titles with a casual interest. "Ah well, guess I might as well take a nap latter then. But enough about that; was there a particular subject you wanted to talk about today?" Lucy asked, trying to keep her voice neutral despite being quite happy about getting to spend more time with someone her own age.

"Actually there was, I was not sure that you would want to talk about it though." Roland said with a slight frown upon his face.

Lucy stopped what she was doing and stared at the man in surprise. The entire time she had known him Lucy had only seen him express curiosity and a hint of happiness. "Well we'll never know unless you ask so you might as well." Lucy said and placed her hands on her hips.

Roland was quite for what felt like an eternity before he finally asked a question that caused Lucy's blood to freeze. "Lucy…why exactly are you seeking out the powers of the demon lords? From your descriptions of your life someone who shines as brightly as you should have no need to walk into the darkness voluntarily. So why?"

The silence that Lucy had once found comforting now felt so oppressive that she almost wanted to fall to her knees under its weight. But she could not allow herself to do so; to fall here would make everything she had accomplished to that point meaningless. With a trembling voice Lucy slowly explained why Abaddon had come to save her, what had happened to her on that rainy day. Roland's eyes widened noticeably when she came to the part when Natsu stabbed her in the back but he did not interrupt once during her story.

When Lucy finished the silence became even more oppressive to the point that Lucy had started to shake slightly and she could feel the same strange sensation of cold water in her mind that she felt the moment she made a pact. Strangely enough though even after talking about the most painful moment in her life she hadn't fully broken down yet, only the feeling of tears in the corners of her eyes and the trembling that continued to wrack her body.

"I see…while I haven't had anyone in my life betray me like that I can understand your feelings on the matter." Roland finally said as he walked forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But Lucy, there is one thing I want you to think about. From your stories this Fairy Tail place is your true home right?"

Lucy couldn't bring herself to answer with words and could only nod her head in afrimation.

"So if you really do think that what will you do after, after you've had your vengeance were will you go that can make you feel at home?"

Lucy sharply sucked in a breath at Roland's question. Now that she thought about it in the past year she had never once thought about what she was going to do after confronting Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail. Sure they had talked about getting her a new heart but in the end that was just a method to live on, not a reason to live.

In the end, Lucy couldn't say anything to Roland's question and the silence continued for a moment more before Roland finally sighed and stepped back. "You know Lucy, I remember reading in a book once about how tomes written by famous and powerful mages always carries a hint of the magic of the one who wrote them." Roland said matter-of-factly and so out of the blue that Lucy could only whip her head up to stare at him in confusion, to which Roland simply ignored. "if this book you're looking for contains the most powerful spells of Celestial magic then I can only imagine how strong the mage who wrote the book was." For a moment neither of them moved, with Roland looking at Lucy expectantly and Lucy simply blinking back at him in confusion. "Well anyway, I have to go organize another history section today so I'm afraid we'll have to put a stop to our conversation here. Until next time Lucy." and with that Roland once again flew into the air and disappeared into the gloom of the ceiling.

Lucy stared at the spot Roland had been standing her eyes as wide as saucers and her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. _What the hell was he talking about in the end there?_ She thought to herself with all thoughts about his question fading from her mind with the exception of his strange statement.

Turning back to the bookshelf before her Lucy couldn't help but muse over what he had said at the end. It was only after about ten minutes or so of thinking it over did she finally realize what his seemingly random information meant to her.

After making a very unladylike choking noise and turning around to look out over the abyss with a wide smile on her face. "I can use my magic to find it!" she shouted to no one in particular but she was so happy she didn't even care.

Lucy smile brightened even more as she dropped to the ground and folded her legs underneath her. She closed her eyes and began to release a torrent of magical energy. For a few minutes Lucy felt no reaction as her magical energy continued to fill up the library. But just when she started to feel like maybe it wouldn't work she could see a tiny pinpoint of light behind her eyes.

Jumping up with a giddy laugh, Lucy quickly lashed Fleuve d'étoiles around a nearby bookshelf and quickly ran forward and jumped off the ledge falling down into the depths where she felt the faint spark of celestial magic. After a few moments of weightlessness Lucy decreased her speed until she was just slowly repelling down the side of the wall.

Not much latter she finally reached the bottom of the library, which turned out to be an absolutely massive pile of books. It was here that she could still faintly feel the spark of celestial magic. Lucy couldn't help but feel impatient as she started tossing books aside in her attempt to dig out the source of the magic.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she picked up a plainly bound and titles book that appeared no different than any of the others. But Lucy could faintly feel a presence so similar to her own magic emanating from the book, giving her an almost nostalgic feeling. Slowly she opened the book to find a note written in a sloppy handwriting just behind the front cover.

"To whoever finds this tome. Within I have recorded all the knowledge I was granted by the king of the stars. I do not know who you are nor what you have sought this knowledge for but I know that if you have found this book you're love for the stars must rival my own. I pray that you use this power for the benefit of our friends who live in a time far removed from our own. May the stars forever guide you." Lucy tried to read the name of the person who left this tome but unfortunately the name had faded too much to be read.

Lucy held the book close to her chest and felt tears come to her eyes, though she couldn't think of any reason for them. There was just something about this book that made her homesick.

"Is that it then?" the voice of Roland sounded off somewhere over her head. Lucy looked up and smiled at the man who was hovering just over her head and nodded.

"Yep, I'm now only one step away from finally returning home. I don't think I would have ever found it without your words so thank you, thank you so much."

"You're very welcome, but if you want to repay me I do have something in mind. Allow me to accompany you on your journey, no matter where it shall lead." Roland asked as he landed just in front of her. "I can tell that fate has more in store for you than either of us could possibly know and I wish to see what secrets will be revealed once your fate becomes known."

Lucy smiled and held out her hand. "Of course, it would be my honor to have you come with Me." and the two shook their hands with smiles plastered on both faces. "Now if you would be so kind would you mind getting us out of here? I don't want to think about how many stairs there are between here and the exit."

Roland nodded once and held his hands out, to which Lucy instantly jumped into and the second she did the two of them shot up into the air. As the wind rushed past her face and whipped her hair around her head she couldn't help but smile widely. _Just you wait Earthland, only one last pact and I'm coming back for you and I won't stop until I get what I deserve._


	11. Chapter 11

As Lucy and her group approached the palace of Lust Lucy couldn't help but think about the fact that no matter how intimidating a castle was designed to look the moment you painted it bright pink it would lose whatever edge it had. The five of them were walking through the front gate and Lucy inadvertently flinched when she finally saw the castle before her.

"Well isn't this quite the "interesting" place to finish off my travels." Lucy mused out loud as she continued to walk up to the front doors.

"Indeed it will be since Lady Lilith is someone who you would say has an eccentric personality." Abaddon explained from behind Lucy.

"If someone like you are calling her eccentric then we must be in for quite the treat." Lucy said as she rolled her eyes and opened the massive doors.

The moment they walked into the massive chambers Lucy noticed immediately that the inside was an even brighter pink than the outside and unlike its peers was so well light that Lucy's eyes squinted slightly at the amount of light.

The moment they walked through the front door a group of men and women approached in greeting but the moment they felt Lucy's magic level and noticed Abaddon they quickly moved away and bowed in reverence. Lucy was hardly shocked by their actions though, after obtaining the Pact of greed her power level had reached the point where her mere presence made others uncomfortable, added to the fact that she was always accompanied by a Lord of sin as well as a half dragon and it was almost impossible for normal people to feel comfortable around her.

Wasting no time on pleasantries, Lucy moved right to the center of the castle where the throne room was most likely to be. Fortunately she was correct; after a few minutes of walking through hallways and doors she and the others ended up in said throne room. Like the rest of the castle the throne room was decorated in a bright pink that reminded Lucy of some of her clothing back on Earthland.

And when Lucy looked to the woman who was seated on the throne she couldn't help but blush. The woman there looked to be only five or six years older than Lucy despite the fact that she was just as old as Abaddon. She had blond hair like Lucy but a much brighter shade that almost seemed to shine by itself. Her red eyes looked at the group with a look like an older sister watching over her younger siblings. Her outfit was what Lucy could only describe as a mixture between a leotard and a swimsuit and even for Lucy's standard of dress was quite revealing.

"Ah! Its little Abby! And this must be little Lucy that I've heard so much about!" she shouted out like a schoolgirl meeting her idol for the first time.

Lucy couldn't help but flinch at yet another new nickname but didn't let her displeasure show on her face. "Y-yes I am; I have come here for my trial if that is alright with you Lady..."

"Lilith my dear, my name is Lilith." The demon said as she practically leapt from her chair and moved up to Lucy and slowly inspecting every inch of Lucy. "Hmmmm…well don't you have some nice goods on you honey. You're definitely a pass in my book." She declared as she patted Lucy on the shoulder and gave her a knowing smile.

"E-eh?" Lucy couldn't help but mutter, not really used to women being the one to sexually harass her.

"Lilith, as much as I enjoy listening to you give your seal of approval to our pact holder we have more important things to attend to."

"Boo you're no fun." Lilith pouted as she moved to stand a little bit away from the group with a finger on her chin. "I guess I have to come up with a trial for you now right?"

For a moment no one spoke as Lilith continued to ponder her choice. Then she yelled in realization and clapped her hands. "Ah I know, I have just the thing for you!" she exclaimed as she grabbed Lucy's hands. "For your trial I will give you a vision; you pass so long as you manage to keep your hands to yourself, Deal?"

Lucy couldn't help but sigh in relief at her final pact, she would not be happy to have something like what her previous one. "I understand, lets do this." Lucy said as she steeled her resolve.

"That's what I like to hear! See you on the other side." Lilith said in a cheery tone and in the next second she had placed her forehead on Lucy's.

For a second nothing happened but after a few tense seconds Lucy's view suddenly became cloudy. She tried to look around to see what was happening but all she could see was a film of smoke all around her.

Lucy was about to shout out that something was going wrong but before she could a figure started to approach from within the smoke. Lucy squinted in an attempt to make out who was approaching but couldn't make out anything through the smoke. Her confusion did not last however as the figure approached close enough to make out, and who she saw there caused her to yelp in surprise.

Standing there was a shirtless Gray with a look in his eyes that almost made Lucy's legs give way from underneath her. While she had seen Gray without a shirt so many times that she couldn't even count them something about the way he was standing and the way he looked just caused Lucy's face to go a few shades lighter.

"G-gray! What are you doin-." She started to speak when another figure was already on approach. Lucy quickly placed a hand over her eyes as Laxus emerged from the smoke. Unlike Gray he was dressed in a black suit that gave him an almost gangster vibe and with a look on his face nearly the same as Grays.

 _Oh god, is this what she was talking about? How many more guys are going to come out of the fog?!_ Lucy thought in a panic as Gajeel emerged from the smoke with a guitar in his hands and a smug look on his face. _No choice I guess, just going to have to bear with it!_

The procession of males continued for what felt like forever as each and every decent looking guy Lucy had ever seen moved to stand mere inches away from her, each with a look on their face that promised a night she would never forget. Lucy simply whimpered as she kept one hand over her eyes and the other clenched at her side. Normally Lucy would never have this much trouble keeping her desire in check but she could only guess that Lilith had something to do with that.

 _I can't take it anymore! Someone end this torture!_ Lucy screamed in her head as Lyon walked into the little circle of men and took his place next to Gray. However in the next moment each of the men who had been standing around vanished in a puff of smoke. Lucy looked around in both a panic and with a little bit of hope that she had finished the test but a approaching figure quickly dashed her hopes.

 _Well at least it looks like this is the last one; I'm so close I can almost taste it._ Lucy thought as she narrowed her eyes at the approaching figure. However the figure who stepped out of the fog caused Lucy's breath to catch in her throat.

There, standing straight in front of Lucy with one of his famous grins, was Natsu Dragneel.

Lucy couldn't move, she couldn't think, all she could do was stare at the man who was both the man who was both the most important man in her life and her most hated enemy. He was wearing his usual vest and loose pants and his white scarf around his neck.

Unlike the previous apparitions this Natsu didn't have an outfit or a look that spoke to Lucy's hidden desires, he simply stood there with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face. He didn't need any of that stuff to get under Lucy's skin.

Lucy's blush only got worse and she clenched her hands over her chest and even though her heart wasn't capable of it Lucy could almost imagine her heart skipping a beat. She wanted so badly to run up to him and have him hold her, to let him listen to her listen to all of the frustrations.

Lucy was about to reach out to him when the feeling she had grown so used to, the feeling of cold water in the back of her mind, washed through her consciousness and her hand dropped down limply to her side. _I see I really did have feelings for him._ Lucy thought to herself with a lonely smile on her face. Now that she thought about it, it was almost obvious that she would feel something for her pink haired partner. Since the day he had saved her in Hargeon she had always harbored something for the oblivious fire dragon slayer and over time they had grown into something more. But whatever she had felt for her partner had faded that fateful rainy day.

"Lilith, I don't know if you can hear me in here but thank you. You gave me one last time to see my family before I become their enemy." Lucy said to no one in particular before looking back at the fake Natsu with a mournful look. "And goodbye to you too Natsu, the next time we see each other it will be under much worse circumstances." And with that she turned away from the smiling face of her old best friend.

It was only a moment later that the smoke that had surrounded her dissipated and revealed her comrades and the Mistress of Lust. Her comrades all looked at her with smiles on their faces but Lilith looked at Lucy with a worried expression on her face.

Lucy was about to ask why she looked so upset but in the next moment the look was gone from her face and was replaced by an even more ecstatic look than any of her comrades. "Wow, Little Lucy! I didn't think you would do so well against such hotties, I'm impressed." Lilith said as she placed a hand on Lucy's head and started to pet her, something that Lucy found both embarrassing and comforting at the same time. It was while she was petting her head that a spark of power passed between the two and Lucy felt a surge of power.

"Congratulations Milady, you have finally obtained the power to return to Earthland." Abaddon said as he walked up behind Lucy.

"Right, were finally ready to go home." Lucy said with a faint smile upon her lips.

"Oh? We're going somewhere? I can't wait; it has been a long time since I've traveled around." Lilith said with a nostalgic look on her face.

"…Eh?" Lucy managed to stutter out as she turned back to look at the older woman.

"Aw, what do you mean "Eh" Lucy? Of course I'm going to come with you." The older woman said as she turned her head away and pouted. "If you're going to take little Abby with you then of course I'm coming too."

Lucy cringed at the thought of having the embodiment of lust coming along for the ride but Lucy couldn't think of any real reason to deny her. So all she could do was smile at her. "Of course I would be happy to have you with us, welcome aboard."

"You need to lighten up Lucy; life's too short for being so uptight." Lilith whispered into Lucy's ear before moving away to speak to Frederick and Roland.

Lucy turned to Abaddon right then and there and gave the demon a pointed look. "Alright Abaddon, I've got all the pacts now it's time for you to take me back home like you said."

"Indeed you did Milady, and I would be happy to take you and our little company across the boundary between worlds. However I would like to bring something to your attention before I do so. If we go to Earthland now it is true that I can use your power to take our group through the gate. However if I do so I we will never be able to return to this realm." Lucy raised an eyebrow in confusion but Abaddon continued speaking unabated. "While this might not be too much of an issue for either of us there is one amongst our group who would benefit from remaining in this realm for awhile longer."

It was at that moment that Abaddon shot a glance over Lucy's shoulder, which Lucy followed till she saw Alva who had also been dragged into Lilith's arms.

"Alva? Why would we need to stay here for her?" Lucy asked with confusion evident in her voice.

"Her magic of course." Abaddon said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Did you forget that she is a half dragon? If we leave this realm now the only thing she will be able to do for you in Earthland is fight hand to hand. Even with the skill she has developed over the last year do you really think she will last long against the mages you have told me about?"

Lucy bit her lip as she looked at Alva. As much as she wanted to go back and confront her old family Abaddon raised a good point. Without magic of her own she wouldn't last more than a minute against mages of Natsu's or Erza's caliber.

"Sigh…you're right, but what exactly do you suggest? It's not like we can train her in magic."

"Then we will have to just have to ask the dragons for their aid." Abaddon explained drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Hoh? You want to go to the dragons Abaddon? You and I both know that they still dislike visitors." Lilith warned in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Indeed they do not. However, if someone who had managed to save a half dragon were to show up with said person along with two of the lords of sin even they would have to give us entry." Abaddon explained in a sly tone.

"I see…you have a point there. Not even the king of fire dragons would be able to deny us in that situation." Lilith said in the same sly tone that Abaddon adopted.

Alva merely looked between the two demons with a confused look before finally settling on Lucy. "Luce … if you want to go home right now its fine with me." Alva said as she moved to stand right next to Lucy. "I don't need to know about who I am."

Lucy wasn't sure why but something about what Alva just said really bothered her, and despite how badly she wanted to go back home it was only fair for the young girl to find out the truth of her origins and learn about who she really is. "No Alva, you deserve to know the truth just as much as I do. We will go see the dragons." Lucy declared to all those present.

"I see…if that is your intention then Sir Frederick and I will remain here until you return." Roland said with an almost disappointed tone.

"It is a shame; the dragons will not welcome those who are unrelated to their affairs." Frederick said in the same disappointed tone.

Lucy could only smile sadly at the two of them. "Sorry about this guys, but for Alva's sake this isn't really something we can ignore." She then turned to Abaddon and adopted a more authoritative tone. "I will leave the arrangements of our travel to you Abaddon; in the mean time I'm quite tired. I'm going to go find a place to sleep, you coming Alva?" and when the younger girl nodded the two of them proceeded out the doors they had entered not fifteen minutes ago.

Abaddon would have left immediately after them, if it weren't for the fact that another very pissed off blonde had his arm in a vice like grip. "What exactly do you think you're doing Abaddon?"

"I know, I know…but the spell is necessary for her to remain functioning. Without her emotions suppressed she would have broken down long ago." Abaddon explained in an equally serious tone. "I am aware that I inadvertently interfered with your trial but it was necessary for the future that both she and I desire."

Lilith gave her fellow lord a pointed stare for a minute more before sighing and releasing him. "If you continue with such massive suppressions you will damage her original personality. Is that really alright with you?" she asked only receiving a nod in response, making her sigh even louder. "And why go to the dragons? We both know that if she really wanted to there would be no mage that could stand up to her in Earthland. Why go through so much trouble just to increase her war potential?"

Lilith was surprised to see the same sly smile on Abaddon's face the moment she asked the question. "That is a much simpler issue. Let us just say that around a year ago I stumbled upon some very interesting information regarding this "Natsu Dragneel" that forced our hand. Trust me when I say that having Alva at full strength will be more important than anything else that Lucy has gone through in her travels."

* * *

Lucy couldn't help but have her jaw drop at the sight of the kingdom of dragons when they finally reached the summit of one of the many mountains that surrounded the city. Before her eyes was what could only be described as a city out of a fairy tale the buildings towered into the sky until they point that their tops began to cut through the clouds themselves and the doors were so massive that Lucy doubted that any normal person could ever open one. While there wasn't quite the same amount of buildings that a normal city would have each building was so big that it probably took up at least three full blocks of what a human city would be.

Lucy was only pulled from her surprise when she felt a slight tug on her skirt and looked over to see Alva staring at the city with the same shocked expression that had likely colored her own face mere moments ago.

Lucy laughed as she placed a hand on Alva's head causing her to squeak in surprise. "Would this be an appropriate time to welcome you home?"

"A-ah…I guess." Alva sheepishly answered as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. Lucy had noticed that with nearly every step they had taken over the last week that Alva had been getting more and more nervous. Lucy could only guess at what was going through the younger girls head, after all the time she had spent in captivity she had completely forgotten who her parents had been or where she had come from and now they were going to a place that would reveal all of that and more. Anyone would be nervous in such circumstances.

"What's wrong little girls? Get a move on." Came a gruff but booming voice from over their heads, causing both girls to yelp in surprise and stare up at the source. Flying just above their heads was their guide, a massive dragon covered in metal plates that had been their escort from the moment the two girls had entered the dragon's territory. Abaddon and Lilith had both gone on ahead to inform the king of dragons of the reason for their visit and he in turn had sent said dragon to escort them to the capitol.

"Alright no need to get so testy, we're going!" Lucy shouted back as she started walking into the massive city with Alva hot on her heels. Lucy couldn't help but be a little angry at their dragon guardian, after all they had been walking over mountains for over a week now and he could have so easily flown them to this city but every time Lucy would ask him he would merely laugh strangely and say that if Alva really was a half dragon then she would have to prove herself by making it home on her own power.

Lucy huffed in annoyance as she and Alva climbed over a particularly large boulder that had been blocking the path just before the city. It was true that Lucy could have been granted the right to fly into the city, as it wasn't like she was a half dragon or anything, but that would have left Alva all alone on the path to the city and Lucy had no intention of leaving the young girl alone. Alva had always had a attachment to Lucy and it had started to get to the point that she would appear anxious if they were separated for more than a few hours. But even with the young half dragon acting like a clingy boyfriend Lucy was happy to be wanted by someone to such a point that it made them nervous to be away from her, she had never had that before in her life and she wasn't willing to let go of it so soon.

The two slowly but surely made their way into the city until they arrived at the largest and most decorated of any of the buildings and it was at that point that the dragon finally decided to land.

"Welcome to the Dragon Kingdom little ones, inside is the King so I suggest you keep on your best behavior. He won't hesitate to eat you up if you misbehave." The dragon warned as he laughed strangely to himself and used his snout to push open the massive doors. Both girls gulped nervously as they followed the dragon into the dead silent marble halls. The two continued to walk until they reached what appeared to be the center of the massive tower and both looked up in awe. The center of the building appeared to be completely hollow and from what Lucy could see looked to be even bigger than the library she had once lived in.

"Alright little ones, from here you get the privilege of ridding on my back until we get to the top where the King is waiting." The dragon announced as he lowered his head and waited for Lucy and Alva to climb on.

Lucy felt her breath catch in her throat again as she was reminded that here she was riding on a dragon, something she had only heard about from the three dragon slayers back home. Never in her wildest dreams would she have assumed something like this could happen and yet here she was, just moments away from riding on a dragon.

"Better hold on tight because if you fall I won't be catching you!" the dragon said and unfurled his wings before either of the two girls could say anything.

Lucy cried out in shock as the wind buffeted her and she latched on to the dragon with a death grip as she watched the ground start to get farther and farther away. Once again Lucy felt the joy she always did when gravity could no longer hold her but this time she kept her face as serious as she could, she was well aware of how impressive a dragon's hearing could be and she didn't want to laugh like an insane person while riding on someone's back.

It only took the dragon a few minutes of flying to reach the top of the tower where Lucy and Alva were greeted by the sight of a massive red dragon lounging peacefully with Lilith and Abaddon sitting by his side like ants. The dragon they were riding on landed without a hint of grace and quickly lowered himself to the ground and started to shake the two girls off, both of whom promptly fell down with a grunt as they landed.

It was only after the two girls stood back up that the red dragon lazily opened one of his eyes and gave the two girls a once over before raising his head to look at his fellow dragon " thank you for bringing them here Metalicana." The dragon rumbled out in a voice that shook the air with power.

Lucy's eyes widened and she stared up at the dragon that had carried her here in shock. _Metalicana? That's the name of the dragon that raised Gajeel! Does that mean that everyone's dragons are here?_ Lucy though in shock as she looked back to the other dragon. _Does this mean that he is…_

"Gehi, no problem at all, the little one's here are a lot tougher than they look." Metalicana said with just a hint of happiness in his voice before taking off and flying back down the way they came.

No one said anything as the massive dragon turned his gaze on the two girls, eyeing them both up and down until he let out a satisfied hum. "I can see that you both posses great strength, I welcome you to the Kingdom of Dragons, I am Igneel, the King of fire Dragons and the current ruler of this realm." He said in a much friendlier and open tone than he had adopted with Metalicana.

Lucy felt the color fade from her face and started to shiver the moment the dragon introduced himself. Here, standing just before her, was the dragon that had raised her former best friend and taught him everything he knows. Here was the person that he had been searching for years and Lucy had found him purely be coincidence.

"Is there something wrong little one?" Igneel questioned as he stared down at Lucy with a strange look in his eyes.

"N-no nothing wrong, nothing at all!" Lucy denied quickly as she waved her hands in front of her and took a step back.

Igneel continued to look at her strangely for a second more but his attention was quickly drawn back to Alva. "So you are the half dragon who I have heard so much about. What is your name child?"

Alva stared back up at the dragon without a hint of fear in her eyes. "Alva."

"Alva hm? I don't recall any missing children with such a name." Igneel mused out loud as he placed a claw on his chin in thought.

"That would be due to the fact that Milady here was the one to give her a name. When we discovered her she was fleeing from slave traders and Milady was the one who decided to take her with us." Abaddon explained from his seat beside Igneel.

"Hoh? The little one here granted her a name? That is considered a high honor in our land, as a dragon only earns their name the moment they are considered an adult." Igneel explained as he turned his gaze back to Lucy. "Well then Little one, I would like to know the name of one who saved and granted Alva her name. Speak up and tell me what name you have been given."

"Lucy; my name is Lucy and it's a pleasure to meet you."

 **And we Finally have the last pact done with. we're down to one last chapter in Underworld before Lucy finally returns back to Earthland. look forward to the next chapter guys and leave me a review if you like the story so far. until next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Quick message in reply to those who asked me this in PM's or reviews. i do have romance planed in this story but i don't what to reveal it too soon.**

"…Did you just say that your name is…Lucy?" Igneel asked in a shocked voice as he drew his massive head back and stared at Lucy with a strange look on his face.

Lucy nervously looked up at the massive dragon, unsure of what exactly she had said to make him react like he was. She did notice out of the corner of her eye that Abaddon was watching the two of them with a very serious look upon his face and appeared to be quite tense but had not made any moves at that point.

"Right my name is Lucy…is there something wrong with that?" Lucy asked as she planted her hands on her hips and pouted up at the dragon.

"No it's nothing…nothing at all…" Igneel said almost to himself as he placed his massive head back on the marble floor but continued to watch the two girls "well then Lucy Heartfilia; allow me to once again thank you for saving and naming this wayward dragon. Now then, I suspect little Alva here would very much like to begin learning the truth about herself and while I have a good idea who her parents were I can see that you two are barely on your feet at this point."

Lucy sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as she smiled up at Igneel, it was true that she was absolutely exhausted after navigating the mountains to get to the dragons kingdom but didn't want to make a big deal out of it as this was about Alva learning the truth about herself. What was a little bit of sleepiness compared to that?

"Alva? Is that alright with you?" Lucy asked as she turned to look at her companion, who was staring up at Igneel with an anxious look on her face.

"Mmm…its fine…I'm tired too." She quietly said as she rubbed her eyes.

Lucy chuckled as she placed a hand on Alva's head and turned back to look up at Igneel. "I guess the two of us will take you up on your offer."

"Alright then; you two have a good rest. Abaddon would you mind bringing them to the guest quarters? I would rather not call Metalicana back up here after sending him away." Igneel asked in a tone that didn't leave the demon lord any room to maneuver.

But if Abaddon was in any way off put by the dragons tone he did not let it show. "Of course, I would be happy to." And with that Abaddon moved right next to the two girls placing Lucy on top of one of her shoulders and slinging Alva under one of his arms. Both Lucy and Alva screamed out in surprise at the sudden movement but were both too tired to bother squirming out of his grip. Lilith, giggling to herself, strolled up to the three of them and moved to stand on the ledge leading back to the ground.

"Well then, Lord Igneel, we will take our leave for the day." Abaddon said with a flourish and leapt from the edge that they were standing on, causing both girls to scream out in surprise.

Igneel watched the spot where the four of them had been standing lost deep in thought. The moment he heard the young humans name his heart had almost stopped. The moment his old friend had dropped off the two humans he had nearly been overwhelmed by the nostalgic scents that had come from the blonde girl. While slightly different, it was undeniable that her scent was quite similar to that of his old friend. And if that weren't enough there was another scent upon the girl that Igneel couldn't quite believe, one that, while faded, was one that Igneel would have never thought he would ever smell again.

"What exactly happened to you? Lucy Heartfilia?" he mumbled to himself, only slightly apprehensive of what the answer would be.

* * *

Lucy casually walked out onto one of the many balconies that the tower had and enjoyed the feeling of a cold wind on her skin. It had been almost a year since Lucy and the others had arrived in the dragon kingdom and she had enjoyed every moment of it. The day after they had arrived in the dragon kingdom Igneel had called both of them to an empty area south of the city. There he revealed the truth of Alva's origins to the both of them.

He spoke of his younger brother, Irwrath, who had fallen in love with a young demon of Lust. The two of them had eloped almost ten years ago and neither had been heard from since. While it wasn't necessarily true that her parents were dead, it was likely due to the fact that Alva had been found in captivity that they had perished from either rouge dragons or wild demons. Lilith, who had joined them that day as well, confirmed that she was aware of a dragon and lust demon that had been living in her territory a while back but neither had been heard from for quite awhile.

Alva had cried at the news that her parents were likely dead, to which Lucy had been more than happy to let her cry into her chest. The two simply stood there, neither moving while Alva let out her pent up emotions. Lucy wanted to say something to help soothe her, but couldn't think of anything to say that would help.

After a few minutes of shedding tears, Alva's sobs finally quieted and she turned her attention back to Igneel. "Ok…what do we do know?" she had asked in a serious voice that surprised everyone present.

Igneel went on to explain that now that they had figured out the powers of her sire, they could now begin training her in dragon magic. More specifically fire dragon magic. He also explained that he had asked Lilith to aid in her training as he knew almost nothing of Lust demons magic and she would be necessary for Alva to become strong.

Lilith then took over the conversation as she began to explain to the two of them what a Lust demon was capable of. According to her Lust demons relied on their speed and illusions to get up close and personal with their opponents. Once there a Lust demon would be able to drain their target of their magic once they came into physical contact with them.

From then on Alva had been training with the two of them on her magic. She would spend most of her day fighting against Igneel and her evenings learning how to control her fire magic. Lucy would see her come back to the room they shared long after the sun had set, covered in bruises and scratches. The two of them had barley any time to talk to each other before Alva would pass out from sheer exhaustion.

Lucy had been allowed to watch a few of their training sessions, the ones that did not have to do with her magic training, and had been quite amused watching Alva run forward in an attempt to fight against Igneel. The fire dragon would use a single claw to send her flying through the air and Alva would instantly get up from wherever she landed and would just launch herself back into the fray. Watching the two brawl Lucy couldn't help but be reminded of her old family and their constant brawls, giving her a bittersweet nostalgic feeling that would have brought tears to her eyes if it weren't for the icy cool feeling that would wash through her mind and calm her down.

Lucy's own time had been spent decoding the celestial book she had recovered or speaking to various dragons of many different types. She had even met Grandeeney at one point when she had come to visit Igneel to discuss the rouge dragons that lived in her territory. The sky dragon had been ecstatic to learn that Lucy was from Earthland and had instantly asked her if she had known her daughter. The two of them spoke of Wendy and their adventures for quite awhile before the sky dragon had been forced to return to her own territory.

Lucy was brought back to reality when a strong gust of wind buffeted her nearly knocking her off her feet. Lucy couldn't help but scowl in frustration, it had been almost a year and the only thing she hadn't been able to advance in any way. The book had been encoded in a way that made it almost impossible to decode. Even Abaddon had been forced to admit that it was beyond even him to understand.

"Something wrong Little Lucy?" Lilith's concerned voice sounded off from the doorway to the balcony.

Lucy turned to smile at the demon; the two had grown quite close over the past year. The lust demon was quite caring despite her childish demeanor and had even taught Lucy some illusion magic. Not enough to trick most opponents but enough to make her presence harder to detect and her scent not as noticeable.

"No not really." Lucy tried to deny but Lilith clearly did not believe her and simply crossed her arms and waited. "Alright fine, I'm really annoyed." Lucy admitted with a pout. "We've been here for over a year and I feel like I haven't improved at all. Alva has advanced by leaps and bounds but here I am just spending my days reading a book and exchanging pleasantries with dragons. Not saying that's not something I'm not happy to do its just…I don't know what to do anymore."

Lilith was silent for a moment as she walked up to Lucy and lean on the railing. "Hmmm…well then why don't you go and try to get some more pacts?"

Lucy whipped her head around to stare at Lilith with a look of shock covering her face. "Huh?! I already have all the pacts. What more could I possibly have?"

Lilith simply laughed at Lucy's confusion. "Not quite, you have all the pacts with the demons, that's not true when it comes to the Divinities who live to the west. They are able to forge pacts with begins just as we are capable of. Although I can't guarantee that they will go for it, after all you have already made pacts with vial creatures like me."

The two of them laughed at that, but Lucy quickly frowned. "While that's good and all, how exactly am I supposed to get there? I remember Abaddon telling me that only a few beings that are allowed on their continent."

"Exactly right and dragons are one of those beings. I'm sure if you ask Igneel he would be more than happy to have someone fly you over there. In fact why don't you we go ask him right now?" Lilith said with barley contained glee as she pushed Lucy back through the door and down the hall.

"Whoa, wait a second! What about asking Abaddon or something?" Lucy franticly asked but allowed herself to be slung over Lilith's shoulder as she began to ascended higher up into the tower. She had grown far too comfortable with someone carrying her through the air over the last year and this time was no different.

"Its fine, its fine. I'll explain it to him later." Lilith waved off her concerns as she continued to leap from wall to wall as she climbed the tower.

After a few minutes the two of them arrived at the top of the tower, where Igneel was currently resting. Abaddon had been entrusted with Alva's training for the day so that Igneel could catch a break. The elder fire dragon slowly opened his massive eye and stared at the two with oblivious amusement.

"Well if it isn't the Mistress of Lust and Lucy Heartfilia. What can I do for you today?"

The two explained why they were there, much to the dragons surprise and asked if he would be willing to spare a dragon to take her to the Domain of the Divinities.

"I see… before I give you my answer I would like you to answer a question of my own first. Why exactly do you need so much power Lucy Heartfilia? You have already claimed the powers of the lords of sin, what more could you possibly want?"

Lucy bit the inside of her lip in concern. Igneel's question was both an easy one to answer and one that she was hoping he would never ask. She had grown quite fond of the fire dragon over the last year, spending much more time with him than any other dragon, but every time they met she couldn't help but be reminded of his son, the very reason she was seeking vengeance. She had always wanted to confine in him about what his son had done to her but yet something always held her back. She could feel Lilith's concerned gaze on her back as she continued to think. Lucy had long ago told the Mistress of Lust why she was in Underworld seeking out their power, and why exactly she had no heart beat. She had been beside herself after Lucy told her, instantly garbing Lucy in a bone crunching hug. The moment Lucy had been released Lilith was furious and was just about to rush to find Igneel and give him a piece of her mind and would have if it weren't for Lucy's intervention.

"I seek power because…because I need to learn the truth from someone back in Earthland. And to hear this truth I need power." Lucy declared in a deadly serious voice, her face settling into a glare despite herself.

Ingeel watched her for a second before closing his eye. "I see…very well then I shall grant you one of my kin to bring you to the Land of the Divinities. So long as you are escorted by said dragon they will not dare to harm you. If you will wait below I shall arrange for someone to escort you." And with that the massive dragon stood back up, unfurled his wings and leapt from the platform.

Lilith placed a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder, fully understanding what Lucy had just gone through. Lucy smiled back at her for a moment before letting her emotions recede back down until she felt numb. It was the only way she could keep herself from breaking down and crying her eyes out right then and there.

An hour later Lucy, Lilith, and Igneel were standing at the base of the tower awaiting the arrival of the dragon that had agreed to accompany her on her journey. Igneel refused to reveal the identity of which dragon had agreed, merely saying that they would be pleasantly surprised to see who it was.

Lucy was casually talking to the others when something grabbed her by the back of her shirt and started to lift her into the air. Lucy screamed out in surprise and was seconds away from unleashing a celestial blast on her attacker when she turned her head and saw a metallic face staring back at her with glee. It took Lucy only a few confused seconds to realize that it was Metalicana who had grabbed her.

The moment Lucy was placed securely on his back the metal dragon began to laugh at his own antics. "Quite the cute little scream you got there Princess."

"God, you scared the crap out of me! So not cool." Lucy complained as she wailed on the dragons back in anger. She had not spent as much time with Metalicana as the other dragons but for some strange reason he always called her Princess when they met, despite Lucy's obvious discomfort with the nickname. He had become even worse after Lucy talked to him about his foster son. Constantly pestering her and refusing to call her by name.

Igneel and Lilith burst out in laughter at Lucy's temper tantrum, causing Lucy to pout even more. "Well then Metalicana; I will entrust Lucy Heartfilia to your care." Igneel said as he tried to hide his amusement at the situation.

"Don't worry; I'll keep the Princess from stubbing her toe while she's there." Metalicana continued to joke laughing just the same as his foster child.

Lucy said nothing as she turned her head away in a pout at all the teasing. Here she was, leaving for who knows how long, and everyone was content with just making fun of her.

"Bye bye, Little Lucy. See you when you get back!" Lilith cried out as she waved excitedly at Lucy.

Before Lucy could reply however Metalicana jumped into the air and began ascending quickly into the air, causing Lucy to swallow her farewells and hold on for dear life.

* * *

Lilith watched as the metallic dragon carried Lucy up into the sky. She had become more than fond of the busty blonde over the last year and was more than happy to see her off. The girl had suffered immensely over the last few years of her life and Lilith was determined to bring some lightheartedness to her life, even if it meant behaving like an older sister at times and a mother at others.

"Lady Lilith…" the solemn voice of Igneel brought Lilith back to reality. The dragon was staring down at her with a look that she couldn't quite describe. "I have kept my piece this year due to how upset and fearful Miss Lucy always seemed to be around me but it is time for someone to finally answer my questions. Why is Layla Heartfilia's daughter here in Underworld? Why does her heart no longer beat? And why exactly does the scent of my son emanate from the scar on her stomach." Igneel asked, half roaring by the end.

"I don't know anything about a Layla Heartfilia but as far as the other two I can answer those questions. But are you sure you want to know the answer? It isn't exactly a happy story." Lilith asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

Igneel simply stared down at her with a incredulous look. "If it is something my son has done than it is my duty as his father to know of his mistakes, particularly if it involves one of my old comrades."

"Fine then, don't say I didn't warn you." Lilith exasperatedly sighed as she began recounting the tale she had been told.

* * *

Abaddon stopped and stared up into the sky as he felt his Mistress flying away at a pace that only a dragon could manage. It was not uncommon for Lucy to spend some time flying through the sky on those few dragons that were willing to allow her upon their backs but from the rate of ascension and the distance and direction they were flying it was obvious where she was heading.

"It appears that Lilith finally decided to make her move…" Abaddon murmured so quietly that even Alva's newly acquired dragon hearing couldn't pick up on it. "Well, it is of no consequence. So long as I am the one who holds her pact and so long as the spell remains upon her mind and heart she will always return to my side. No matter how far she tries to go."

* * *

Lucy couldn't help but want to scream in frustration as she walked through the garden she had been told to wait in for the divinity of redemption to call upon her. it had been six months since Lucy and Metalicana arrived on the continent ruled by the divinities and Lucy had absolutely nothing to show for it. Most of the Divinities had flat out refused to even speak to her and the one who did only told her that so long as she carried the taint of demon kind upon her soul she would never be worth of holding their pacts and had forced Lucy from its castle.

Now here she was, meeting with the final Divinity and pacing angrily though their garden as she waited. Metalicana hadn't been that much of a help either, always poking fun at her or flat out laughing when she was denied entry into a Divinities kingdom, causing the two of them to come to blows more than once.

Despite her foul mood she was quite happy to see the greenery of the garden. The lands ruled over by the Lords of Sin were always full of death or decay and even the dragons land was only massive mountains of stone with barely a tree in sight. The land of the Divinities however was the exact opposite, with green covering nearly every uncivilized plot of land.

Even with all that green the garden she was currently pacing though was still an impressive display of nature's beauty. Flowers of nearly every color under the rainbow were on display along the path and trees provided shade that would have been perfect for naps dotted the area. Lucy couldn't help but smile as she walked amongst the flowers admiring their colors. Besides for her time with Metalicana this was the most alone time she had gotten since her time in the library and this time the only stress she had was just knowing that she had nothing to show for all the time she had spent here.

It was while Lucy was admiring the many plants that she came upon something that caught her eye. In the corner of the garden she could see a stone statue surrounded by golden flowers that seemed to sparkle under the sunlight. Lucy, her curiosity getting the better of her, walked up to the statue to see who exactly it was depicting and exactly what kind of flowers they were.

But as she approached Lucy's eyes widened and her hand shot to her mouth in shock. There before her, was a statue that bore the exact likeness of her mother.

The statue showed her mother, staring down at her with a smile that didn't seem capable of holding any malice. Her hair was bound in the same bun that Lucy always remembered her mother having and every detail, down to the shape of her face was just as Lucy remembered it. This depiction of her mother was wearing a dress similar to the ones that she wore in life but was adorned with metal armor in spots giving her mother a more warrior queen look.

Lucy's eyes grew moist almost immediately after she recognized who the statue was of her mother and her mind descended into chaos as she tried to make sense of the situation. Lucy started to hyperventilate and collapsed to her feet, her hands clenched in front of her chest so tight that her fingernails had broken the skin on her palms.

After what felt like an eternity of panic Lucy's mind finally calmed down to the point where she could think, although what thoughts that flew through her mind were far from rational. _W-why is a statue of mom here?! Did she have something to do with Underworld?! Why…WHY! Why didn't she ever tell me?_ Lucy screamed in her head as the strange feeling washed through her mind, easing but not erasing the emotions that were raging inside.

It was that moment that Lucy finally noticed a metal sheet on the base of the statue with words carved unto it. Lucy's breath caught in her throat as she leaned in as she squinted to make out the faded words.

"In honor of Layla Heartfilia and her courage in giving her all in protecting two worlds from destruction."

Lucy read the plaque four times but still couldn't make heads or tails of what it meant. Her mom saved this world and hers? But when did she do something like that?

"Is it hard for you to see her face here, Lucy Heartfilia?" a young but kind voice sounded off from behind Lucy.

Lucy turned so quick that her neck cracked in retaliation of the sudden movements. Walking through the garden was a young woman who appeared even younger than Lucy. She wore a simple white dress that flowed loosely around her body. She had blonde hair quite similar to Lucy's own but was much brighter, coming close to looking more like the Strauss siblings than her own. The girls blue eyes held both amusement and compassion as they watched Lucy sprawled out at her mother's statue.

"H-how do you know who I am?" Lucy asked in a broken voice as she shakily got to her feet.

"You mean beyond the fact that you were the one who wished to meet with me?" the girl asked as she casually walked up to stand beside Lucy and looked up at the statue. "I know you through your mother, who held a pact with me and was able to communicate through the Bifrost."

Lucy's eyes grew wider and wider as she watched the girl, to which the girl chuckled quietly.

"I suppose an introduction is in order, my name is Lucina and I am the Divinity that rules over redemption. It is my pleasure to finally meet you Lucy Heartfilia." The girl said as she performed a curtsy.

"A-ah…right." Lucy managed to stammer out as she returned the curtsy, her eyes never leaving her mother's statue.

"Your mother, beyond just being a powerful celestial mage, was also a mage capable of making pacts with beings of this world. Although she preformed the pacts as they were meant to be done. She was capable of summoning one of my lieutenants, something that any mage would be proud to be capable of."

Lucy couldn't really describe how happy she was to hear her mom being praised by a being of massive power. But at the same time she had a question that she just had to ask.

"U-um…Miss Lucina? If you don't mind can you tell me why my mom died?"

Lucina's smile vanished as she closed her eyes in contemplation. "It was close to nine years ago…the last magics of the Bifrost were close to fading which would force the remaining dragons from Earthland, except for the black dragon Acnologia. The dragons chose to lash out at Acnologia before they were cast out and the black dragon would lead your world to ruin. Your mother, having known about the dragon's plight through her pact with me, agreed to aid the dragons in their fight."

Lucina then looked back to Lucy with clear sorrow in her eyes. "The dragons and Layla fought valiantly against Acnologia but in the end they were not quite strong enough. Your mother, in a last attempt to turn the tide, wove a spell of titanic proportions in order to stop the dragons from fading from your world. She used the spell of union."

"The spell of what? I didn't know that mom knew something like that." Lucy asked in between her sniffles.

"Have the demons not told you of this?" Lucina asked incredulously, sighing heavily when Lucy shook her head. "The spell of union is the ultimate spell that a pact mage can cast. The caster fuses their body with the entity they share a bond with. The two become a single being of immense power and the mage gains the powers of the divinity or demon they have fused with. Using this power your mother attempted to repair the damage the Bifrost had suffered nearly two hundred years ago."

Lucy could see tears forming in the corner of Lucina's eyes as she continued her story. "Unfortunately it was not enough. Your mother's body was already weak by this time and the burden of using the spell of union caused irreparable damage to her. However your mother's spell did manage to drain Acnologia of nearly all of his power forcing him into hiding. Your mother fell upon that battlefield, giving everything she had to save Earthland and attempting to save this one at the same time."

Lucy couldn't believe it; her mother had given her life to try to save the dragons and to stop an evil one? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. "B-but why? Why did mom chose to leave me alone?" Lucy couldn't help but scream out as the tears began to fall once again. "Why did she have to die?"

For a moment the only sound in the garden was that of Lucy's sobs. But then Lucy could hear Lucina approach until she was standing right in front of her. Before Lucy could say anything the Divinity reached out and pulled Lucy into a tight hug with Lucy's head nestled in the crook of her neck. "Your mother had something that she was willing to die for. Before she faded I spoke with her and she told me that she hadn't cast the spell for some noble reason like saving the world. It was for you Lucy; so that you could grow up in a world not ruled by death."

And with that, whatever shreds of self control Lucy had left vanished. Her sobs turned into full blow wails as her legs gave out causing her to collapse onto the ground with Lucina still holding her in a tight hug. Lucy couldn't care less at that moment what she looked like or where she was, she simply let the pent up emotions she had been holding flow from her eyes.

The two sat there embracing each other for what must have been close to ten minutes before Lucy's tears finally began to run dry and her wails had turned into an occasional hiccup. But even then Lucy did not let go of Lucina.

"…Thank you…" Lucy mumbled as she tried to regain control of her breathing.

"It's no problem, I expected you to react that way." Lucina quietly said as broke the hug but did not stand up. She watched Lucy with a faint smile upon her lips before grabbing Lucy's right hand with both of her own. "Lucy Heartfilia; I have decided to grant you a pact with me."

Lucy's brain was so fried from what had been happening over the last few minutes she wasn't even able to register what Lucina had said. She looked at the divinity with a look of shock on her face.

"What's with that look? I thought that was the whole reason you were here?" Lucina asked with an indignant pout.

"No! I mean; of course it is but I thought that you divinities couldn't stand the fact that I have pacts with demons."

"Well, it's true that it makes me very uncomfortable standing next to you with such foul energy coming off your body but I can see something that the others cannot." Lucina cryptically explained and before Lucy could ask what exactly she meant a warm light engulfed her right hand. In that moment Lucy's heart was overcome by a warm bubbly feeling that she couldn't help but smile from.

A second later, the feeling was gone and Lucina had stood up and backed away. Lucy looked down at her right hand and could see her guild mark glowing with a white light.

"I leave you with my pact and these words Lucy; there is no creature in existence that is beyond redemption, even with their souls tainted and bloody there is always a spark of light hidden in the dark."

* * *

As Metalicana descended back down to the kingdom of dragons Lucy could make out the shapes of a crowd of dragons standing around the base of the tower. As they continued to descend the shapes of Igneel and Grandeeney as well as Abaddon and the rest of their group awaiting them.

Lucy asked Metalicana why they were waiting for them. "They can smell us of course; you do have quite the unique scent to you Princess. Reminds us of an old comrade." Metalicana explained in between the flaps of his wings.

The moment that the two of them landed and Lucy slid down his side Lucy was struck by a blur of bright red hair. Lucy and her attacker went flying backwards and landed on a heap on the ground. The moment Lucy was able to get some breath in her lungs she looked down to see a teary eyed Alva holding her in a death grip. In the six months since Lucy had been gone Alva had changed immensely. Her dragon horns had grown longer and now curled slightly at the end. Her hands had also grown scaly and now ended in claws. Her eyes had changed color and were now a bright green.

"…I thought you left me…don't do that." Alva whispered with a tone that sounded like she was going to start crying at any second.

"I'm sorry, but Lilith forced me to leave immediately." Lucy explained as she patted Alva on the head. "I promise though that I won't go anywhere without you again, alright?"

Alva didn't respond, she simply stood and went to stand behind Lilith, apparently still pouting about Lucy leaving her alone. Lucy could see Frederick and Roland standing slightly off to the side, having apparently been allowed into the Dragon lands during her absence.

"I must say I am impressed Milady; I truly didn't expect for you to be able to get a pact with one of the Divinities. Once again I am reminded once again of how impressive my pact holder is." Abaddon said with a bow from where he stood.

"Of course, Abaddon, I would of thought you would have learned that there isn't anything I can't do." Lucy arrogantly proclaimed as she pounded a fist against her chest.

Abaddon merely chuckled as he walked to the center of the circle the dragons had formed. "Well then Milady, I believe it is time for us to return to your world." And with that Abaddon raised his hand and with a simple snap of his figures a portal of darkness appeared in front of them all. "Once we walk through this portal we shall arrive back in Earthland. However, once we do I will no longer have the power to open the portal once again."

Lucy nodded and turned to look at each member of her group. Each one nodded back to her, their resolve clear on their faces. "Alright then, let's get going."

The members of her team nodded and one by one walked through the portal until just Abaddon and Lucy remained.

"A moment before you leave, Lucy Heartfilia." Igneel rumbled as he walked up to her side, lowering his head until it was level with Lucy. "I know what my son has done to you is beyond forgiveness and that you have every right to pursue your revenge, as such I will not tell you to stay your hand. As the child of my old comrade I simply ask that you make his passing as painless as possible."

Lucy's hand shot to her mouth and tears blurred her vision. She didn't know how Igneel found out; as he was the one dragon she didn't want to know about what had happened to her. "H-how?"

"I could smell the scent of my son from the scar upon your stomach. They only way that would be possible if he were the one who inflicted the blow." Igneel explained with a snort. "Damn that boy, I can't believe he would raise his hand against the child of Layla. He's lucky I can't get to him or he would suffer far worse than what you have planned for him."

Despite his attempt at a joke, Lucy couldn't bring herself to look the fire dragon in the eye. "Is there…is there something you would like me to say to him before I confront him? He has been looking for you for years after all."

Igneel was silent for a moment, "Tell him…that despite my love for him; I feel nothing but disappointment for what he has done."

Lucy nodded once and moved to stand by the portal, turning around to look at the dragons, each of which smiled back at her.

"Lucy Hearfilia! Know that we dragons shall be forever be indebted to your family and you and your descendants shall always be welcomed amongst us. Go forth and deliver justice upon those who have wronged you!" Igneel roared as he shot a breath of fire into the air, the other dragons following his example.

Lucy smiled as she waved back at the dragons, and then stepped into the inky darkness, returning back to her world.

 **And there we go! the end of the Underworld arc! starting with the next chapter we will see the return of Fairy Tail. until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

The first thing Lucy noticed when she stepped through the portal to Earthland was how much better it smelled compared to Underworld. The scent of the green grass under her heel reminded her of her days in her mother's garden and even the trees seemed much more pleasant than she remembered. Lucy was even surprised to hear the chirping of birds off in the distance, something she hadn't heard in almost three years. The very next thing she noticed was a slight but noticeable drain on her magic from both Lilith and Abaddon, who apparently required her magic in order to remain in Earthland although the drain was not enough to actually cause her any uncomfort, speaking volumes of how much stronger she had grown in her time in Underworld.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at the awe filled faces of her companions as they looked around in shock at their surroundings. Remembering the time she used Urano Metria their faces were filled with awe at seeing actually green nature for the first time. Alva in particular was standing there slacked jawed as she stared at two birds that were flying by.

Walking forward until she was standing in front of the others and turning to stare at Abaddon and everyone, Lucy threw her arms out and smiled at them. "Well then guys, welcome to Earthland. Now then let's get goi-."

But before she could finish her sentence a blinding flash of light erupted from Lucy's side and the sound of a bell ringing could be heard from all around them. Even before Lucy could yell out in shock she could feel strong arms wrap themselves around her body and pull her into a broad chest.

When the light finally faded, Lucy stared up into Loke's worried face as he continued to hold her close. "Lucy! y-you're still alive! Thank god."

Lucy blinked in surprise as she stared up at Loke's face that was on the verge of tears. Even though she felt bad about it, she had completely forgotten about her celestial spirits in her time living in Underworld. But now that she thought about it the moment she returned the keys to Earthland her spirits would be able to feel her presence through their gates and it only made sense that Loke would show up immediately to confirm her safety. Lucy was honesty surprised that more of her spirits hadn't forced their gates open in worry.

"H-hey Loke, long time no see." Lucy greeted as she hugged the Lion spirit back, feeling her smile grow even wider. "I missed you guys."

Loke's hug grew even tighter and Lucy could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "When Capricorn returned to the Spirit World he told us what had happened to you. None of us could feel our keys in Earthland anymore and we couldn't feel your presence. We all assumed the worst."

"I'm sorry to worry you guys but I had no way to contact you." Lucy comforted as she patted him on the back one more time before finally breaking away from Loke's hug, causing a frown to appear on his face. "But what do you mean Capricorn? I don't have his key, how did he find out about me?"

At Lucy's question Loke's face twisted into a mask of rage. He explained how Natsu had fought against the man who had possessed Capricorn's body and how the Goat spirit could feel Lucy's blood upon the fire dragon slayers hands. The other spirits had been outraged and confused at the fact that Natsu had hurt her but without their keys they could not manifest on Earthland, leaving them stranded in the celestial world with nothing but concern.

"Lucy…what exactly happened between you two?" Loke cautiously asked as he too took a respective step back to stare at his master. As happy as he was to see her he could feel immense magical energy coming off her body and those who stood behind her were just as powerful.

Lucy frowned and clenched her hands at her side so tightly her hands turned pale. In a deadly cold tone she launched into an explanation of what happened that stormy day. When she finished she could see Loke's eyes widened so much that she could see the whites of his eyes even from behind his sunglasses.

"I'm so sorry Lucy…I…I should have been there to protect you. I failed you as both a spirit and as your friend."

Lucy felt anger boil up from within as she stormed forward and poked the Lion Spirit in the chest, not hard enough to hurt him but enough to get his attention."Don't you dare blame yourself for what happened to me Loke. I should have been able to trust him and he betrayed me, the only one here to blame is Natsu and Natsu alone. He's the only one who has to suffer for what I went through that night and I intend to make him pay for what he did."

Loke frowned and didn't look to be all that convinced but said nothing. For a moment neither said anything until an uncomfortable cough sounded off from behind the two. Lucy turned to see Alva had walked forward to stand just behind her, an awkward look on her face.

"Luce…who is he?" she asked, clearly not sure what was going on but was clear on the fact that the man who had appeared out of nowhere was somehow related to Lucy.

"Ah right, sorry about that Alva." Lucy apologized as she moved to the side to let Loke see the others. "Loke, these are my comrades from my time in Underworld. Everyone; this is Loke, or Leo if you prefer, the leader of the Zodiac Spirits."

Abaddon bowed slightly while Lilith gave a small curtsy and the others merely nodded to Loke. Loke on the other hand simply stared at them with a blank face, confusion clear in his gaze.

"Lucy, as happy as I am to meet new people, especially if they are your friends, I think you should probably tell me exactly what happened during your three years away. I can practicly hear Aquarius screaming at me to find out the truth."

And so Lucy launched into her story, speaking of her new Dark Matter celestial powers and the pacts she had obtained during her time in the other world. Lucy also explained who each of her new companions were. Loke had been particularly interested in the fact that Alva was Igneel's niece and even beyond that the fact that Lucy had meet with dragons caused his eyes to go wide.

When Lucy finally finished her tale Loke said nothing, he simply stared at Lucy with a look of disbelief on his face. "You know…If anyone else had told me that story I would have suggested they turn themselves into the nearest hospital for mental care. However I can tell that you have much more power than the last time I saw you and seeing as there is a half dragon standing right behind glaring at me I'm more than inclined to believe your tale."

Lucy smiled at her Lion spirit for a second and silently thanked him before her face turned deadly serious and she turned back to look to Abaddon. "Alright then Abaddon, I think I've waited long enough to confront Natsu about what he has done to me. Tell me which way Fairy Tail is so I can get my revenge."

Abaddon however said nothing at first; he simply smiled at Lucy with his same arrogant grin. "Unfortunately, Milady, I'm afraid that most of Fairy Tail died nearly three years ago. All of Fairy Tail's strongest fighters, including Natsu Dragneel, died on your guilds holy ground." He explained in the same nonchalant tone he always used.

At first Lucy simply stared uncomprehendingly at him, not really sure if he was telling a joke or not, but after a few seconds of him saying nothing more she scowled at the Lord of Pride as her anger grew. "I hope that was a poor attempt at a joke Abaddon, otherwise we need to have a serious conversation about your humor."

Abaddon simply shrugged, "I truly wish I was joking but what it is the truth, Natsu Dragneel is gone from this world."

Lucy was about to scream at the demon when Loke placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Lucy…he's telling the truth…Capricorns key disappeared almost six months after your disappearance. Capricorn could tell that his key, and everything that was around it, vanished from this world. And in the end Natsu was the one who had his key." Loke's eyes softened as he watched Lucy's face take on a look of shock. "They really are gone Lucy."

Lucy stepped back from the others, her eyes wide and her whole body shaking as she tried to process what had just been said. _Their gone...? The whole reason for my time in Underworld has been gone this whole time?_ "H-how did it happen?" Lucy managed to choke out.

"From what my shadow saw that day the Black dragon of the Apocalypse attacked the island that they were fighting on. They fought against the dragon but in the end it merely chose to obliterate the island itself with everything on it." Abaddon explained, his voice finally turning serious at the mention of the black dragon.

Lucy staggered back like she had been struck. Abaddon continued to speak to everyone but Lucy could no longer hear what he was saying, she couldn't understand what was happening, all she could think about was how everything had been for nothing.

Lucy was vaguely aware that she had turned around and was starting to walk away into the depths of the forest. She was also somewhat aware of the others calling out to her, to which she told them to leave her alone for a moment. She was also aware of Loke attempting to follow her and that she had forced his gate closed but it all felt like she was in a dream. When Lucy's brain finally started to work again she was sitting by a cliff that overlooked a sea of trees. The sun was just beginning to set and she could vaugley hear the noises of the forest begin to quiet.

There were no tears falling from her eyes nor any sobs escaping her lips, there was only the feeling of cold cruel numbness. Lucy turned her head to the sky, feeling the need to both laugh and cry at the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, after three long years of fighting and struggling and when she finally got home not only was the target of her revenge long gone but he had even been killed by the very creature that had taken her mother from her. Lucy had finally learned that fate was truly cruel to the Heartfilias.

After a moment of humorless laughter Lucy looked down at the sun with a soulless gaze. _Fine then…if destiny wants me to die in misery and failure who am I to argue._ Lucy thought dejectedly as she stared down at her right hand with cold, empty eyes. A moment later, a small dagger comprised of dark matter appeared in her hand, not enough to fight with but enough for her purposes.

Slowly but surely, Lucy moved the dagger till it was pointed directly at her unbeating heart. Lucy wouldn't be able to end everything unless her heart finally gave way. _Mama…you might never forgive me for this but I'm just so tired…I just want everything to end._

And with that; Lucy took one last breath, closed her eyes…and plunged the blade into her chest.

Lucy waited for her thoughts to end and for the final darkness to wash over her but as the numbness continued Lucy slowly opened her eyes. When her sight cleared she witnessed a sight that made almost no sense to her. Kneeling only a few inches from her with her hand gripped tightly around the blade of her dagger, was Alva. Having approached in near silence the dragon girl had her head down and her shoulders shook with either rage or sorrow but Lucy couldn't care which it was at that moment.

Neither Lucy nor Alva said anything as they continued to sit on the ground, the sun finally setting leaving them in the twilight. The only sound being the occasional dripping sound of Alva's blood as it traveled down the daggers blade and fell upon the ground.

"…Why…?" Alva finally asked; her voice low and filled with an emotion Lucy couldn't quite identify.

Lucy didn't reply at first as she tried to find her voice "I just want it to end…Everything I've done; everything I've suffered through, it was all pointless if I can't even confront Natsu…why should I continue on if I have no reason?" Lucy explained dispassionately and quietly, her eyes still missing any sign of light or life.

Alva continued to hang her head, the shaking in her shoulders growing even worse. "But…you promised…you promised me."

"…Promise?" Lucy parroted, not bothering to think about what the red head was talking about.

It was at that moment that Alva's head shot up, revealing her face filled with sorrow and her eyes overflowing with tears. "You told me you wouldn't leave me alone again! Please…Please don't leave me alone like my parents did!" Alva was screaming at the end as her hand that gripped the dagger began to shake only worsening her wound. "Luce…please live alongside me! Please don't abandon me!"

Lucy sucked in a breath in shock and her eyes widened. She didn't even think about her, she was about to leave Alva alone in a world that she knew nothing about and had no connection to. She was about to betray the half dragons trust. _I'm no better than him…I was moments away from doing the same thing._ Lucy's eyes began to grow moist and the dark matter dagger disintegrated into black particles.

Lucy hesitated for only a second before leaning forward and embracing Alva in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry." She managed to choke out before breaking out into tears, followed shortly by Alva who was practically screaming out in sorrow. The two girls embraced each other so tightly that they were actually hurting each other, although neither had any time to care about their pain as they cried into each other's arms.

Over time, Lucy's and Alva's cries quieted and their tears began to dry but neither released the other, both finding immense relief in the touch of another being. Eventually Alva began to explain that during Lucy's time in the domain of the Divinities Alva was constantly suffering from heartache and loneliness that not even her uncle could help alleviate. She would awaken in the middle of the night, unable to find Lucy's warmth and believing herself to be back among her captors. She would scream out in terror as visions of the slavers assaulted her and her body remembered the pain she had been forced to endure. She could only find comfort under the wing of Igneel, but even then she would still be haunted by nightmares of what had been her life before Lucy had named her.

Lucy remained silent as Alva spoke of their time apart, but as her story continued her face fell farther and farther into a frown. "I'm sorry Alva; I had no idea what you were struggling with. I never should have left you alone."

"No Luce, it's not your fault. I never wanted to tell anyone about my time as a slave." Alva refuted as she shook her head. "It's just…I couldn't bear it if went somewhere I couldn't follow."

Lucy winced as she was reminded of what she was about to do. She was about to apologize when she noticed Alva's hand was still bleeding from where she had stopped Lucy's blade. Lucy gently grabbed Alva's hand and turned it palm up, seeing a deep cut that she had inadvertently caused. "Here, let me fix this for you." And before Alva could say anything Lucy opened herself to the powers of redemption. Lucy's guild mark began to glow with a faint white light that also began to suffuse Alva's cut. After a few seconds the cut disappeared into nothingness, leaving unblemished skin in its place.

Alva stared wide eyed at the place where her cut had been before looking at Lucy with a look of awe on her face. "Luce…you can heal people?"

"Well…having a pact with the Mistress of Redemption does have some perks." Lucy giggled slightly as she stared down at her still glowing guild mark. "I just have to be careful using it as I can't access my other pacts for awhile after using a Divinities powers."

Lucy's frown returned as she once again thought about what she almost did. _I'm a fool; mom would never forgive me for leaving early. And even if she would I refuse to abandon those who stood by me during my time of need._

Lucy leaned forward and placed her forehead against Alva's causing the younger girl to squeak in surprise. "I promise Alva; from now on I will live alongside you and the others. That will be my purpose in life."

"I see…so that is your decision Milady?" Abaddon's smug voice came from the forest behind them.

Both girls yelled out in surprise, both having been in their own little world, but Alva quickly started to grow at the demon lord.

"Abaddon! If you where there you could have said something!" Lucy reprimanded as she jumped to her feet to glare at him as he slowly walked through the trees to stand before them.

"It was not my place to interfere in your decision to take your own life. If you did not have the will to move on then this would have been as far as you could go and it would have simply meant that I had misjudged you that rainy day." Abaddon said with a shrug, "But now that you have made your choice it is time for me to tell you a truth about your death."

Lucy watched the demon lord, her trust in him having been greatly shaken, but when he spoke of her death her eyes widened immensely and her mind was consumed by the feeling of cold water passing through her. "W-what exactly do you mean?"

Abaddon simply smiled at her, "I of course mean the true reason that Natsu Dragneel betrayed you, the reason for your death."

Abaddon then spoke of another thing his shadow had discovered in his time in Earthland, something it had learned on the day of Lucy's funeral, the letter from Igneel, and exactly why Natsu had done what he had done that day.

When Abaddon finally finished explaining the truth of this letter Lucy was shocked that her legs didn't give out, although that may have just been because Alva had been supporting her back. "I-Igneel?! B-but that's not possible." Lucy breathlessly exclaimed as her mind raced to make sense of the situation.

"Indeed, it is impossible for the Fire Dragon King to be responsible for that letter. And even if it were possible he would have simply killed you the moment you stood before him." Abaddon continued to explain. "The only explanation is that someone forged the letter and forced Natsu's hand."

Lucy's head felt fried as she tried to think about what he had just said. Lucy couldn't think about the how or the why right now, she just wanted to know one thing.

"Who…who could have done this?" Lucy asked with anger beginning to rise in her tone.

Abaddon thought for a moment before replying. "One being capable of this would be Acnologia. The Black Dragon was one of the last to fight against Igneel and most certainly kept a few of his scales as a trophy of his conquest, using those he would have been more than capable of manufacturing a letter with his scent upon it."

Abaddon's face then turned serious, more serious than Lucy had ever seen it. "But the more likely candidate in my opinion would be the Black Wizard, Zeref. He and his false demons would be more than capable of falsifying the scent of a dragon."

"Zeref? The wizard who made Lullaby? I thought he was dead?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"Not true at all, Milady. Zeref is alive and healthy and most certainly still active." Abaddon refuted.

"But why would he? Why would one of the most powerful mages ever care about Natsu or me?"

"Despite my status as one of the Lords of all demons I have no way to understand the inner workings of an immortal mage. However, I can assure you that he is more than likely responsible. He would not hesitate to take the happiness of others in order to fulfill his own ends."

Lucy bowed her head in thought as she considered what Abaddon had just told her and after a moment of contemplation slowly an evil grin formed on her face. "I see…well then I guess we have a new goal, my demon friend, we will hunt down Acnologia and any of Zeref demons."

"Hoh? And how shall we do that Milady? We lack any information on either group, nor any connections with the locals to exploit."

Lucy's smile only grew wider as she placed her hands on her hips. "That's simple Abaddon, we will form a guild."

* * *

Lucy watched the waves lazily break against the hull of the ship as she passed the time. She was currently alone on the deck of a ship headed back to Ishgar from Alvarez and finally had a moment to herself to think as Fiore was finally coming into view.

It had been just about four years since Lucy and the others had formed their own guild, the Fallen Celestials, and things had been going quite well. The Magic Counsel had not been too keen on approving their request to form a guild, but when Lucy showed up at their doorstep with two of the Lords of Sin they had been more than willing to approve their requests. When it came to their question of who their guild master would be Lucy hadn't hesitated for more than a second before putting Abaddon's name forward. The Lord of Pride had knowledge on nearly every subject and in the end his pride would never allow someone else to take the position from him. They had purchased a small building just to the west of Onibus and used it as both their guild hall and home. The building was actually very well outfitted, as Abaddon had refused to spend his days living in "a shack in the middle of nowhere". Lucy hadn't been exactly sure where the Lord of Pride obtained his furniture or decorations but a part of her couldn't help but think it was better not to know.

While it was true that they had become an official guild, Fallen Celestial only took jobs that the Magic Counsel sent to them that dealt with anything that had to do with dragons and demons. The jobs did not come in all the time, but often enough that people began to recognize the name of their guild. As such, Lucy had been forced to take a false name, Celestias, and had been forced to wear a hooded cloak and gloves in order to hide her identity. After all, there were still members of Fairy Tail left in the world and seeing their dead former comrade would certainly make headlines.

While Lucy's body had not aged at all in the last four years due to her stopped heart she had grown stronger. With the aid of Grandpa Crux Lucy had finally decoded the book that contained the final spells of Celestial Magic. One spell was called the "Heavens Fall" that called down the heat of the stars in beams of light to eradicate her foes while the other was known as "Celestial Nova", a spell that pulled all magic and matter into a single point and unleashed it in a devastating blast. Both spells were immensely powerful but both required quite a lot of preparation in order to cast, making neither useful for one on one fights. She had also confronted Abaddon about the spell of union and had forced the demon lord to teach her how to use it. Abaddon had warned her that if she ever used the spell it would put her heart in jeopardy but nonetheless he proceeded to teach her the spell.

Alva, on the other hand, had grown up into a beautiful woman. Now standing just as tall as Lucy herself and had become a beautiful woman. Lilith had used her illusion magic in order to hide the girls more draconic features but they still couldn't figure out any way to negate her horrible motion sickness, but even with the fact that she would turn green on transportation Alva still managed to turn heads no matter where she went. She had been taken with the Heart Kreuz style of clothing and could nearly always be seen wearing a dark red or black tank top and a pair of jeans, clothing that only accentuated the newly found curves of her body that could only be matched by Lucy or Lilith.

Alva had also grown far more attached to Lucy since the night she had tried to kill herself, practically attaching to Lucy's hip from morning to night and growling at any man who would dare to approach them. Alva would sneak into Lucy's room to sleep in her bed and Lucy learned quite early on was that Alva would latch onto whatever was next to her and that she was quite a heavy sleeper. Lucy would often awaken in the morning; feeling new bruises on her ribs and unable to move from the fel dragons vice like grip. Lucy couldn't help but think on those mornings that maybe all dragons and dragon slayers couldn't help but cuddle up to whatever they slept next to.

It was at that moment that Lucy felt a slight twinge in her magic and upon looking over her shoulder she could see Loke standing there smiling at her. He and the other spirits had grown quite fond of opening their own portals and arriving uninvited to brighten up her day, something Lucy was more than happy with and with her magic reserves having grown so much over the seven years she was more than capable of holding their gates open for as long as she needed to. Loke in particular was one of the more commonly seen spirits, always within a few feet of his master. Lucy had never asked him about it but she was sure that he felt somewhat guilty over what had happened to her all those years ago at the hands of Natsu and that he stayed by her side in order to protect her from whatever he had to. He got along fine with most of Lucy's new family and with Lilith in particular but for some reason Loke never seemed to be able to trust Abaddon, always watching him like a hawk when he would speak to Lucy.

"Ah Celestias, you're practically glowing today! Have I mentioned recently how beautiful you are?" Loke gushed as he placed an arm around her shoulder as he moved to stand alongside Lucy.

"Only a few hours ago Loke, but thanks anyway." Lucy said as she continued to watch the waves.

The two of them were returning to Fiore after a long term mission searching the continent for any signs of Zeref's demons but had come up empty handed. The rest of Fallen Celestial had been forced to remain in Fiore as there was a chance Abaddon would be detected by the Etherious demons. From what Abaddon had explained all demons of Zeref's creation were based off of a single pride demon that Zeref had used as the base of his experiments to create his false demons. As such each Etherious demon had a slight connection to all pride demons and would therefore be capable of detecting his presence. Alva had been forced to remain behind as well as she would never survive the trip, although she was adamant that she would be the first to discover a land bridge between the two continents if she had to, forcing Lilith and the others to remain behind as well in order to hold her back.

"So was there a reason you wanted to flirt with me today or did you simply miss me?" Lucy questioned as she glanced at the Lion spirit.

"Do I need a reason to see my lovely summoner?" Loke joked but as Lucy continued to stare at him he sighed heavily and looked at her with a more serious face. "Lucy… do you still hate them? After finding out the truth of what Natsu did that night do you still desire his death?"

Lucy turned her gaze back out to sea, feeling the cold sensation pass through her mind for the first time in quite awhile. "Honestly…I'm not too sure now. The burring rage I used to feel when I heard his name has faded until all I have is the bitter feeling of being betrayed by someone who was my friend." Lucy explained with a sad smile upon her face. "In the end; Natsu chose his father, someone he hadn't seen in years, over me. But as far as hating them all…I just don't know."

For a moment neither spoke, the only sound being the sound of seagulls cawing in the distance and the sound of the sea around them, before Lucy finally turned around to smile at her Lion spirit. "In the end does it even matter? Fairy Tail is gone from my life, I am the strongest mage of Fallen Celestial, Celestias, now and I have no interest in returning to the past."

The two continued to chat about nothing of importance as the ship pulled into harbor and both Lucy and Loke were some of the first two off the ship, having travled with light provisions in case they had to flee in a hurry. It had been nearly two months since they had stepped onto familiar land and both were looking forward to getting back to their new home. The guild hall for Fallen Celestial had been established far away from any prying eyes and they still had quite a journey ahead of them.

However , as the two travelers made their way through the crowded docks they were shocked to see Alva, standing just outside the docks and looking slightly green and earning herself a few cat calls that she of course ignored as she watched the ships, waiting for them with a deadly serious look on her face. The moment she noticed Lucy approaching she sprinted forward and latched onto her in a bone crushing hug.

"Celestias…welcome back." She warmly greeted when she broke away from Lucy.

"Alva?! What are you doing here? Were you waiting for us to get back?"

"For about a week now." Alva explained as her face fell. "Lucy something has happened that needs your immediate attention."

"Oh? Who did Lilith seduce this time?" Loke joked as he moved to stand by the side of the two girls. They had discovered early on that the title of Mistress of Lust wasn't just for show and that the demon queen had quite the bad habit of picking up boys from important families, many of whom would show up at the guild demanding duels once Lilith inevitably dumped them.

"No…well yes she did, but that's not the problem." Alva said as she shook her head. "Celestias…Fairy Tail has returned."

* * *

Natsu couldn't help but frown as he followed after Erza, Gray, Happy and the others back to the Fairy Tail guild hall. It had been a little over two months since they had been released from the Fairy Sphere and they had spent the last two months training for something called the Grand Magic Games at a beach to the east of Magnolia and were now walking back to the guild after a grueling train ride.

In all honesty, Natsu couldn't give a rats ass about these magic games, he would much rather spend his time searching for his missing father. But in their time training to close the seven year gap he had heard an interesting piece of information from Jet. Apparently the new number one guild in Fiore had two dragon slayers that had claimed to have killed their dragons, and Natsu couldn't wait to introduce himself to them and "kindly" ask them if they had any info on where the dragons had gone.

Natsu shuddered slightly as his thoughts of his dad inevitably lead to memories of his former partner. Ever since they had returned Natsu's nightmares had grown much worse. Now he no longer could see Lucy smiling at him. Instead all he would ever see was Lucy, her eyes wide and her mouth open in a silent scream of terror, crouching down in the burning forest of black flames. Natsu would, as always, try desperately to reach her but every time her chest would be pierced by a bright orange flame and she would turn to him with shock and fear in her eyes.

Natsu would wake up at that point but he no longer felt the need to scream. Instead he would clutch at the golden Zodiac key he had hidden on his neck and underneath his scarf. Whenever he touched the key he could feel faint warmth emanating from the key and he could almost imagine Lucy's standing right next to him, her soft hand on his shoulder and a smile on her face. His heart would calm down then and eventually he would fall back to sleep. Natsu had tried multiple times to open the goat man's gate but despite feeling his magic drain into the key he was never able to open a pathway for the spirit. Apparently holder magic was a lot tougher than Natsu had ever though possible.

 _Now I wish I had been paying more attention when Lucy talked about her spirits._ Natsu couldn't help but think bitterly to himself as he kicked a pebble out of his way.

"What are you moping about, Flame Brain?" Gray smugly asked as he looked over his shoulder.

"Nothing that concerns you Ice Princess." Natsu mumbled as he caught up to the others.

"No fighting you two, save it for the Grand Magic Games." Erza warned as she continued to pull her cart of luggage behind her.

Their group finally arrived at the tiny guild hall on the outskirts of Magnolia, meeting up with everyone else who had gone elsewhere to train.

"Welcome back, my Children." Gramps greeted them after everyone went over what they had accomplished over the last three months. "Now that you have all gathered together again I will now announce who will be representing us for this year's Grand Magic games."

The master paused and closed his eyes in contemplation for a moment before snapping his eyes back open and staring at each of them in turn. "Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, Levy McGarden, and Wendy Marvell." Each of the five chosen reacted in different ways, Levy and Wendy both cried out in surprise not having expected to be chosen, and Erza and Gray simply smiled confidently. Natsu merely accepted the Masters words and simply stared off into space, not really that interested in what was going on.

"Everyone! This is our chance to reclaim the honor of being the number one guild in Fiore! Let's defeat Sabertooth and show everyone the power of Fairy Tail!" Erza proclaimed, earning herself a round of cheers from those who had gathered.

Natsu nodded along with everyone's cheers; even though he wasn't that interested in it he couldn't help but feel fired up at the prospect of a good fight. "I'm coming for you, Twin Dragons." Natsu mumbled to himself as he turned to head home and get ready for his travels.

* * *

Lucy couldn't believe it; she had refused to be believe it when Alva had told her until she had seen it with her own eyes. But at this point she couldn't deny it. The Lacrima before her clearly showed Natsu and the others, standing around in the new Fairy Tail guild hall. Abaddon's shadow had carefully infiltrated the building and was now sending them a direct link back to Fallen Celestial.

"How…" Lucy began but couldn't even finish her thoughts.

"From my investigation it appears those who were present on the island were placed in some sort of stasis bubble when Acnologia attacked. The stasis spell kept them intact all these years and three months ago it finally dissipated." Roland explained with clear interest in his voice. He had always been interested in magic that he had no knowledge of and apparently the spell Fairy Tail had used was new to him.

"We have been keeping tabs on them during your absence, Lady Lucy, but from all our spying they have been apparently only interested in training themselves." Frederick explained from the other side of the table they were all sitting at.

"Training? What exactly for?" Lucy breathlessly questioned as she continued to gaze down at the Lacrima.

"Likely for the Magic Games. Fairy Tail would be quite low on money at this point and I'm sure they are quite hungry for that prize money." Abaddon mused out loud from his spot at the head of the table.

"That or they want to prove their strength again. They are the weakest out of all Fioreian guilds right now and there is no better venue for displaying their power." Lilith added

Alva remained silent, watching Lucy with worried eyes. Lucy looked up to find that in fact, everyone was watching Lucy with a mixture of emotions on their faces.

"Well then Milady, what shall we do?" Abaddon cheerfully asked from his seat.

Lucy looked back down at the Lacrima before her, watching Natsu argue with Gray with a blank look on her face. Here she was, fully capable of taking her revenge but at the same time she was slightly hesitant. After everything that happened in the last four years and with her hatred finally cooling down she wasn't sure what exactly to do.

After hesitating for a minute Lucy finally turned to look at Abaddon. "Abaddon, do you still feel Zeref's magic coming from Crocus?"

"Indeed I do, the magic has grown even stronger this year than all years previously." Abaddon confirmed. Over the last few years they had detected Zeref's magic coming from the Flower city but after their investigation the first year turned up nothing they had simply ignored it under the assumption that the Lord of all dark mages would not be stupid enough to hide out in the capitol of Fiore.

 _If I give the order to attack them now it would be a bloodbath… and while Fairy Tail does deserve to suffer for housing a murderer I don't want the others to die for Natsu's sins. However what if we…_ Lucy thought to herself as she once again looked up at Abaddon. "One more thing then, did we receive an invitation again this year?"

Abaddon blinked for a moment in uncomprehension, but after a moment a grin spread across his face. "Indeed we were Milady; it appears there are many who would like to see us fight in the arena."

Lucy's own face warped into a predatory grin as she looked to each member of her guild in turn. "Then we will take out two birds with one stone. We will once again search for the source of the Magic and confront Natsu Dragneel at the same time. Fallen Celestial will fight and win in this years Grand Magic Games."

 **Yay, got a chapter out on time for once! also just to let you Raven Tail wont be a part of these games, after all Fairy Tail will have more than enough dealing with Fallen Celestial. see you next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

Due to Alva's motion sickness, Fallen Celestial was only able to arrive at Crocus the day of the preliminaries for the Grand Magic Games. Lucy was mildly annoyed with the crowds that had gathered to watch mages battle it out. Crowds had been increasingly worse for Lucy ever since she had taken on the persona of Celestias and the cloak and gloves that came with it. Either they watched her cloaked form with wariness or they would end up reporting her to the local authorities, causing nothing but delays and more often than not resulting in their target getting away.

"Abaddon, the organizers sent you the rules for this year right? What exactly is the preliminary this year?" Lucy asked as they moved onto a side road in order to avoid the curious gazes of the crowd.

"The information I received was particularly vague, only informing us that all competing members must be present in their designated hotels by midnight exactly." Abaddon explained with a hand on his chin. "It is likely that whatever the preliminaries end up being will be taking place tonight."

"Makes sense…" Lucy thought out loud before clapping her hands and smiling at each member of her guild in turn. "Alright guys. Since we have time until tonight I'm fine with you guys doing what you want until then. Just make sure that you're back at the hotel by at least half an hour till twelve, we can't afford to not be in the tournament proper and we don't want to tire ourselves out so don't use magic unless you have to."

"Very well then, I shall visit the capitals library, there are quite a few tomes here that I have yet to read myself." Roland said as he adjusted his glasses and walked off into the crowds.

"I know what I'm going to do! This is going to be fun!" Lilith exclaimed as she turned to leave.

"Lilith! I better not see any young men in the hotel room when we get back!" Lucy shouted after the woman, who only waved in response as she too disappeared into the crowd.

"What about you Abaddon? What are you…?" Lucy trailed off as she noticed the demon lord had vanished as well, without a single one of them noticing. "Unbelievable; how exactly does he do that?" Lucy complained as she rubbed her head in an attempt to keep a headache from taking root.

"You need not worry Lady Celestias, the lord of Pride knows what he's doing." Frederick comforted, "For my part I shall simply retire to the hotel early and await your return. If that is alright with you?" and at Lucy's nod he bowed slightly and he too walked away.

"Alright then Alva, what shall we do?" Lucy asked as she looked over at the girl and smiled.

However, she was surprised to see Alva rubbing her head and averting her eyes. "Celestias…actually I had something important I had to go see by myself today. Is it okay if I go off by myself?" she asked, making sure to give her best puppy dog eyes as well.

Lucy blinked in surprise for a second before succumbing to the red heads cuteness and smiling widely. "Of course Alva, I'm fine with you want to go do something else. It's just surprising to hear that you have other things to do other than be around me, I always assumed that's the only thing you knew how to do." Lucy joked and laughed as Alva playfully punched her in the arm.

Lucy watched as Alva ran off into the city feeling and couldn't help but feel a little down, although she did say that they could do what they wanted she hadn't expected every single one to go off by themselves, even Alva had something apparently more important to do than to spend time with her.

"Ah, Princess, allow your knight in shining armor to escort you around the Capital of Flowers this fine day." Loke's smoothly greeted as he placed a hand around Lucy's shoulders.

"Hello Loke, how are the other spirits today? Lucy asked as she allowed Loke to lead her back unto the main street and into the crowds.

"They send their regards as always…well they do feel anxious feeling your depression and pain." Loke explained with a frown as they continued to move through the streets.

Lucy couldn't help but sigh out loud. With her increase in power her Celestial Spirits had gained a stronger connection to her through her keys, to the point where they were capable of feeling her emotions and some of her more charged thoughts through their keys. Lucy had to be careful to keep her emotions in check otherwise all she did was worry her family, despite the fact that they would all tell her that they were happy to share a stronger bond with her.

"…sorry…"Lucy couldn't help but apologize as Loke lead her to a café he had apparently frequented during his time in Fairy Tail.

"Celestias; you have nothing to apologize for, it's just part of us being your family and you're strength. We are all happy to help bear you're burden, even if just a little." Loke dismissed her concerns with a smile as a waitress approached to take their orders. Loke's attention was instantly on her as he complimented her uniform in a way that left no confusion as to his intention. Lucy couldn't help but sigh once again as she worried how the rest of her day was going to go.

* * *

Natsu couldn't help but scowl as he walked through the dimly lit streets of Crocus with Happy flying just off to his side. They had arrived in the city only a few hours ago and everyone had gone off by themselves to enjoy themselves before midnight. Natsu hadn't really been bothered with arriving early and wandering around, it was the smell that was ruining his mood. The entire city smelled of flowers and the more Natsu walked around the more the smell reminded him of Lucy and how much she would have loved to see a city of flowers.

"Natsu…I'm hungry." Happy whined from his side, distracting him from his brooding thoughts.

He smiled at his adopted son and patted the blue cat on the head. "Alright little buddy, let's go find some fish."

The two continued to walk around, now searching for a street vendor to sell to them, until they came across a group of people yelling and the distinct sounds of flesh striking flesh.

"Ohhh, A fight! Common Happy, let's go!" Natsu exclaimed as he rushed forward. If there was anything that could take his mind off of his old best friend it was the prospect of violence.

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed as he followed Natsu in between people's legs in order to reach the center of the group.

Once he reached the center of the group, Natsu was greeted with the sight of at least ten people unconscious and beaten to a pulp, lying on the ground and two men standing above them. One had black hair and red eyes, appearing entirely disinterested with the bodies that surrounded them. The other man had a head of blonde hair and arrogantly smirked down at his fallen foes.

"Is this really all you guys have?" the blonde man asked with mock interest as he shook his head in disappointment while the black haired one continued to stare off into the distance.

"You two are…" Natsu murmured as he finally noticed the smell vaguely reminiscent of his own coming off the two fighters.

The two finally turned to look at Natsu, surprise covering both their faces. "Hoh? Well if it isn't Natsu Dragneel." The blonde one's smirk grew even wider as he looked down at Natsu.

A brown Exceed that had been standing next to the two men introduced them as the twin dragons of Sabertooth, Sting and Rouge, and that they were third generation dragon slayers that could easily outpace the older dragon slayers. But Natsu couldn't care less about what the cat was saying, his focus entirely on the two dragon slayers before him and the question he was dying to ask.

When the cat finally stopped talking Natsu took a step closer, a deadly serious look on his face. "So then, did you're dragons disappear on July seventh as well?"

Sting chuckled to himself before looking down his nose at Natsu. "You could say that."

"I'll be frank…we killed our dragons in order to become true dragon slayers." Rouge explained in a neutral tone.

Natsu's eyes went wide in shock for a second before twisting in rage. "You killed your own Parents?!"

Sting just laughed at Natsu's rage. "Of course; but I wouldn't expect someone as weak as you to understand true strength when you couldn't even beat that black dragon. I cant even remember why I ever looked up to you when you aren't even strong enough to do what you have to."

Natsu's rage cooled instantly at Sting's insult and a cold smile spread across his face. "Oh? Then let me ask you something "third generation dragon slayer"." And Natsu stepped closer and leaned in close to the Sting so that only he could hear her. "If you're dragon told you to kill the most important person in your life; would you do it? Would you be strong enough to throw away your own happiness?"

Natsu could see Sting's eyes widened in shock and confusion but before he could ask what he meant, Natsu was already walking off with Happy right on his tail, still complaining about his stomach being empty.

Natsu reached under his scarf and grabbed the golden key around his neck, his mind filled with images of Lucy. _I won't forgive them. If they were so willing to throw away their happiness just for a title then they don't deserve to call themselves dragon slayers, and I'll be more than happy to take their titles away from them._

* * *

Alva watched the pink haired man as he made his way out of the crowd that had formed around the twin dragon slayers. She had been tracking the boy all day learing everything she could about her cousin. The illusion spell that Lilith had placed on her earlier kept the three slayers from noticing her draconic scent allowing her to watch them in peace. She was curious about the suposive strength of the so called third generation dragon slayers but that could wait for later, Natsu was the more important prey at that moment. The moment she had detected a scent that had been vaguely reminiscent of her uncle she knew instantly that it had to be Lucy's nemesis, and her vision flared red almost instantly.

Clenching her hands and grinding her teeth in anger over the fact that she couldn't take her prey right then and there before turning around and making her way back to her own hotel. She had wanted to so badly attack him but if she did Lucy would never forgive her if she took the prey she had been waiting seven years for. But even still, Alva refused to allow him to ever hurt Lucy again. Even if she had to kill her own cousin to prevent Lucy from ever suffering pain ever again she would not hesitate to take his life.

* * *

Lilith huffed as she briskly walked along the city streets. All day she had been looking for a "Toy" to play with but not a single one of the men she had managed to snag had been able to keep up with her, let alone come even close to entertaining her. Left more frustrated than she was willing to admit, Lilith simply pushed through the crowds with no real destination in mind, allowing herself a brief moment of pouting before returning to the others.

 _Ah…I was really hoping to get someone good today. With Little Lucy revenge so close I'm probably not going to get another chance to enjoy myself for awhile._ Lilith thought to herself as she enjoyed her little tantrum before shrugging her shoulders in surrender. _Ah well, maybe I can just ask little Lucy to let me borrow that Lion spirit again. I'm sure he could use a good work out._

Her mood instantly improving, Lilith scanned the nearby signs in hope of determining where exactly she was in relation to her hotel when she spotted a peculiar sight. Off in the distance she could barely make out the form of a tiny white cat wearing clothes and walking on her hind legs. The cat had a faint smile upon its lips as it spoke to a young blue haired girl that was walking alongside it, both apparently enjoying the sights of the city.

"Oh? Is that an Exceed? It's the first time I've ever seen one. It sure is cute." Lilith mused out loud as she made her way closer to the cat. Lucy had always criticized her for her occasional scatterbrained tendencies but Lilith was sure that if she brought back such a little cutie that Lucy was sure to forgive her for the last time she had brought a young man back to their guild hall.

Lilith was about to her incredible speed to run forward and grab the little kitty when she noticed something on the blue haired girl's right shoulder that she had missed originally, a blue guild mark and a guild mark that was quite important to Lucy, a mark that Lilith had been extra careful to memorize.

 _That girl is a Fairy Tail member?_ Surprise filtered across her face as she ducked behind a nearby building and watched as the little girl and Exceed went into the palace gardens. _Actually; I remember Lucy talking about a little sky dragon slayer and a white Exceed that was in the missing team. Wasn't she also the one who could heal others?_ Lilith frowned as she realized that the little girl, Wendy she believed her name was, was indeed the healer of Fairy Tail. So long as they were able to heal any injured members it would be quite difficult to get the advantage over Fairy Tail when Lucy gave them the order to attack. Better to remove her from the equation early on than risk her becoming an issue later.

A predatory grin spread across Lilith's face as she too walked up to the palace guards and followed the two in. _I guess I'll just take it upon myself to remove this little stumbling stone from Lucy's path. I can't wait to find out what her magic tastes like._

* * *

"You're late Lilith; it's only a few minutes to midnight!" Lucy chastised as the lust demon strolled casually through the door, looking quite satisfied with herself and a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Awwww, don't be like that Little Lucy. I got back on time and didn't bring someone back with me like you said. If anything I think I deserve a reward."

"That's no excuse Lilith, you almost cost us our right to compete because you had to go satisfy your urges. If anything I should be punishing you."

Lilith started to cry then and ran forward and threw her face in Alva's chest. "Bo ho ho…Alva, Lucy's being mean to me!" she cried out with tears in her eyes as Alva began to pet her head in comfort.

"Lucy….it's not nice to be mean to your family." Alva reprimanded with a frown on her face.

"Oh dear Milady, if you continue to behave so cruel I shall have no choice but to remove you from the guild. I shall not condone insults to my charges." Abaddon threw his own comment into pot, a massive grin on his face.

Lucy was seconds away from screaming at everyone and hitting them with a Lucy Kick when the ground beneath their hotel began to shake and the whole building began to shoot upwards until it was overlooking the city. Lucy and the others ran to the balcony to see a strange pumpkin man projection up in the sky.

"Welcome one and all to the Grand Magic Games! I'm your host, Mato!" the projection announced with quite the theatrical flair. "We will now begin the preliminary round for the Games!" and the moment he finished speaking a wooden pathway manifested leading from their hotel room up into the sky, where a massive mechanical ball hovered just over the city. "The first eight guilds out of one hundred and thirteen who reach the end of the Sky Labyrinth will have the honor of participating this year. There are no restrictions on what magic can be used or how you choose to go about exploring the Labyrinth. Oh and don't forget, we are not responsible for any loss of life during the entirety of these games."

And with that the pumpkin man turned and gestured to the metal ball as if inviting everyone in. "Now then, let the first round of this year's game, the Sky Labyrinth, begin!" and the projection vanished without a trace as cheers resounded throughout the city.

"Hah…what a farce of a game." Lucy couldn't help but complain as she turned to stare at Roland, pulling her hood over her face and the gloves on her hands. "If you wouldn't mind Roland I would prefer to finish this game as fast a possible."

Roland pulled out his tome and bowed his head slightly."Of course Lucy. Now then, **Tome magic: Wide Area Search**." And with that Roland's tome began to shine as a large amount of information began to pass in front of Roland's eyes.

Roland had proven himself to be quite useful in the search for demons over the last four years, His title as the former head librarian wasn't just for show and with his ability to search over large areas for anything they needed and take them all too wherever they needed. While he wasn't that skilled in hand to hand combat, his ability to use nearly any magic recorded in his tome gave him an immense advantage over his adversaries.

"I have located the end of the Labyrinth." Roland declared after a few seconds and looked to Lucy for confirmation and after receiving her nod he once again opened his tome to a new page. " **Tome Magic: Astral Teleport**." And in the next second everyone but Abaddon, who was simply standing to the side waving goodbye, was suddenly standing right before a wooden door with a colorful lit "Goal" sign above it and a very shocked looking Mato standing right before them.

"K-kabo! I didn't think that any group would get here that fast!" Mato exclaimed as took a step back in surprise. "W-well then, would you mind telling me what guild just destroyed their competition?"

Lucy simply placed her hood over her head as she stared at the tiny pumpkin man. "We are Fallen Celestial." Lucy proclaimed as she and the others walked through the door and into the waiting room that had been prepared for them.

* * *

Natsu shifted uncomfortably in his purple uniform as they waited for the start of the tournament. They had barely managed to pass the preliminary round only a few hours ago and now they were about to begin the tournament proper, each of them wearing a uniform that Gramps had decided on in order to show their spirit.

They had almost been unable to participate by the fact that Wendy hadn't shown up at their room last night, their participation only possible due to Elfman showing up with drinks and food. And while they hadn't been able to personally confirm Wendy's safety themselves they had heard from Warren through his telepathy they had ended up finding Wendy and Carla, unconscious and in apparent pain, in the gardens of the palace. Neither of the two had regained consciousness over the night and even Porlyusica, who had come with everyone as a medical adviser, had been unable to wake them.

"Something wrong, Natsu?" Erza questioned as they waited for the announcers to call them into the stadium.

Natsu didn't turn to look at Erza, instead he simply stared out into the sunlight of the arena with a frown on his face. "I just can't help but wonder if the person who attacked Wendy is out there somewhere, waiting to attack more of our family."

Erza crossed her arms over her chest, her own face settling into a scowl as well. "Indeed, it is troubling to think we have unknown foes here as well as that strange magic Jellal warned us about."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Gray finally spoke up, his shirt having disappeared in the brief time from the changing room to the hallway. "Does it even matter who they are? Anyone who attacks our family we destroy right back, no matter who or why they attacked us."

"And fighting for the sake of fallen comrades is super Manly!" Elfman shouted as he raised his fists into the air.

Natsu nodded as well as he reached under his scarf and grasped the golden key around his neck, feeling a slight feeling of comfort from it. It was then that he could hear the sound of the announcer echoing from the hallway. "…and now everyone, the team that came in eight place this year. Can they reclaim their former glory? Team Fairy Tail!"

Natsu and the others walked confidently out into the stadium, Natsu with a fist raised into the air, and almost instantly the crowd began to jeer and boo them, clearly unimpressed with their strength.

"Wow, not exactly the warmest of welcomes." Levy grimaced as she scanned the crowd, feeling slightly out of place amongst her best friends teammates.

"Don't worry about it Levy, it will be all the more impressive when we take back first place." Erza comforted as she placed a hand on the smaller girls shoulder.

The announcer Chapati, the commentator Yajima, and the special guest for the day Jenny of Blue Pegasus, continued to introduce team after team of competitors. From Lamia Scale to Mermaid Heel guilds from all over walked out to stand alongside Natsu and the others. There had even been a second Fairy Tail team that showed up, comprised of Laxus, Gajeel, Mira, Juvia, and a disguised Jellal. And even been a surprise appearance by first master Mavis, although only Fairy Tail could see her presence in the cheering section.

"Well then everyone; let's move on to the team that came in second place this year!" Chapati announced as Fairy Tail team B settled unto the field. "Oh my; what a surprise! Coming I'm second place this year for the first time, team Sabertooth!"

The crowd murmured amongst themselves as the Sabertooth team walked triumphantly out onto the field, Sting smugly smiling at Natsu and Rouge watching Gajeel intently. Natsu was slightly confused as well, wasn't Sabertooth supposed to be the strongest guild in Fiore? Who managed to beat them?

"And now we come to the guild that came in first place this year! A first time competitor to the Grand Magic Games! Will they sweep away their competition or is their first place in the preliminary round merely a fluke? Introducing, team Fallen Celestial!"

A moment later the last five combatants made their way out onto the field. The first thing Natsu noticed was a bald man who was wearing even more armor than Erza, towering over the others of their group. The next one was a young man with long light blue hair, seemingly uninterested in what was going on around him. The next one was a scantily clad blonde woman; waving and smiling out at crowd obviously thrilled with being down on the arena floor. The second to last one was a red headed woman who was glaring at him, although Natsu couldn't recall ever seeing her before. Each member bore a guild mark upon a patch of exposed skin, a large wing with three stars hovering just over it, but each mark was completely black as if in mourning.

The final member of team, who was both the least and most noticeable, was a hooded figure that walked in the center of their team. The person was smaller than every other person amongst their group, slightly smaller than Natsu himself, and from what little skin Natsu could see their skin was completely pale underneath their hood. The person was wearing black jeans and boots but whatever they were wearing for a shirt was covered by the cloak. Their right hand was also covered, a black glove keeping their skin covered, and upon their left they bore the mark of their guild. From the shape of the exposed left hand, Natsu figured that it was highly likely they were a woman but he had no way to confirm it without running forward and pulling their hood down.

But that wasn't what Natsu found most strange about the person in question, the strangest thing was their scent, or lack their of. No matter how hard Natsu focused his nose on the person he couldn't detect any whiff of their scent. One of the first things that Natsu had realized growing up as a dragon slayer was that every living thing had a somewhat unique scent and it was almost impossible to completely eliminate it. However there was nothing but a blank space where their scent should be, no matter how hard he tried to locate it.

Natsu couldn't help but shift uncomfortably as the group continued to approach the center of the arena and Natsu could see the other dragon slayers growl in unease as they too noticed the lack of smell. But before Natsu could draw attention to it or question the person themselves, the blonde woman skipped up to the two Fairy Tail teams, a massive grin covering her face.

"Why hello fairies, did you enjoy the present I left you last night? I thought it was a great way to make introductions before the games began."

At first Natsu didn't understand what the woman was talking about, but after a few second his mind was returned to the young dragon slayer who was unconscious in their infirmary. In a second Natsu's fists were on fire and a low growl escaped his lips. "You were the one who attacked Wendy?!" he questioned a second away from attacking the woman, the others taking a step forward in anger as well.

The woman simply laughed as she waved a finger in their faces, clearly unimpressed by their anger. "Now, now, now…we'll have plenty of time to play during the games. Look forward to it, Fairy Tail." And with another laugh she skipped back to the rest of Fallen Celestial, all of who were staring at the woman with curious looks.

Erza moved to stand just beside Natsu, watching the Fallen Celestials with a glare on her face. "It appears that we have discovered the identity of our assailants."

"But why attack us? I don't recall destroying any of their stuff before Tenrou. Why would they attack Wendy over nothing?" Gray thought out loud as he too glared at the first place team.

The flames around Natsu's fists dispersed, although his hands remained clenched in rage. "It doesn't matter, like Gray said earlier we fight against those who hurt our family."

* * *

Lucy had honesty been shocked that the moment she saw Natsu and the others that she hadn't run forward in tears to hug them or scream out in rage and try to take Natsu's life right then and there, or both at the same time. Luckily for her the feeling of coldness in her mind helped to keep her under control and instead she simply stared at them intently. There had been a sharp pain in her heart the moment she saw Natsu and the others, each of them smiling and speaking amongst themselves and their two teams and it had only grown worse when they all turned to stare at her and the others when they entered the arena. However the pain lessened and was eventually replaced by suspicion the moment Lilith jogged up to them and upon saying something to them and causing each and every one of her former family to scowl in rage. Lucy watched as Lilith walked back up to them, a clearly smug smile on her face.

"…what did you do Lilith?" Lucy whispered when the demon was close enough to hear her without eavesdroppers.

"Aw, don't worry you're pretty little head about it Celestias. I just gave Fairy Tail a little taste of what's to come." Lilith dismissed with a snicker.

Lucy was about to question what exactly she meant by that but Chapati began his introduction of the first game before she could ask.

"Is everyone excited? Because it's now time for the opening game of this year's Games, Hidden, to begin! Now then, each team must choose one competitor to take part before the rules are explained."

"Well then, Miss Celestias, who shall we deploy in these first games?" Frederick questioned as the other teams began to talk amongst themselves.

"I want to go first!" Alva announced with her hand raised and a confident look on her face.

"No; I want to save you for a surprise for later." Lucy instantly refuted before placing a hand on her chin in contemplation. "…Roland, you will be going first."

Roland nodded slightly before turning and beginning to walk into the center of the arena. However, before he made it more than a few feet away, he turned back to look at Lucy. "Do you have any specific orders for this round Celestias?"

Lucy allowed a cruel smile to cross her lips before answering. "Only that you show Fairy Tail exactly what's going to happen to them. Show them our strength."

* * *

Gray moaned in annoyance as he quietly moved through the fake city streets. First they learned that this new guild was targeting them for reasons no of them could remember but now he had to hunt down the other competitors without taking a single hit, not something his magic was particularly good for. Not only that but the Master had just told them that the losing Fairy Tail team had to do whatever the winners wanted for a single day, not something he was looking forward to if Juvia managed to get the win.

"Damn it all…this sucks." Gray complained to no one in particular as he rubbed the back of his head in annoyance.

"…well I'm sorry to inform you that it's about to get much worse." A calculatingly cold voice announced from behind him.

Gray cursed as he jumped forward and tried to turn around in mid air, preparing his magic at the same time in order to counter whoever had just found him. when his opponent came into view, Gray was shocked to see the blue haired man, standing there with a glowing book in his hand.

The man pointed a figure down at the ground beneath him and his book began to glow brighter than before. "Tome magic: Hell's furnace." He chanted; causing the ground beneath Gray to explode upwards in flames.

Gray screamed out in pain as the fire washed across his body and as a magic activated and transported to another location.

"Oh my! Fairy Tail team A takes a massive attack and loses one point. This gives Fallen Celestial a point of their own!" Chapati announced as the crowd cheered.

"shit, get it together Gray." Gray mumbled as he struggled to rise back to his feet, his burns aching.

"I'm afraid I can't give you the time to recover." A disembodied voice of the man who had just attacked him sounded off from his surroundings

Gray whipped his head back and forth in order to try to find the bastard but there was no sign of him. In the next moment Gray was struck by a beam of light that struck down from the heavens, burring his skin even more and blinding him.

"Another merciless attack! Roland from Fallen Celestial has just struck both of Fairy Tail's combatants from across the field. Is he able to track his opponents with his strange magic? Yajima, do you have any idea what magic Mr. Roland is using?" Gray could hear the commentators continue to talk as he was once again transported to another part of the field. _Juvia is getting attacked too? Are these bastards trying to go to war with us?_

"Hmmm…I have no knowledge of it personally, it is possible he is using a lost magic in order to track his foes." Yajima commented.

The battle continued on, with Gray constantly being hit by strange magic that didn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to it. The moment he would get teleported to another place a magic would lash out from a random direction. And even in the rare event he managed to dodge the initial attack there would be another strike almost immediately afterwards.

"What a boring game…I've already memorized everyone's magic." A very bored voice echoed through the arena.

Gray looked up to see the Sabertooth mage standing up on the top of a building, looking down and smiling arrogantly at them.

"... **Memory make: Night of Shooting Stars!** " The man chanted and in the next second bolts of electricity shot out and downward, one moving directly at Gray.

Gray tried to jump out of the way of the attack, but wasn't quite fast enough and was once again transported to another part of the arena.

"R-Rufus of Sabertooth has whipped out nearly all of his competition! Only leaving Roland of Fallen Celestial standing after he deployed a barrier!" Chapati announced in clear excitement.

"What very interesting magic, very similar to my own by the looks of it." Gray heard the voice of the Fallen Celestial mage answer, excitement creeping into his own voice as well. "However, only our mistress is allowed to wield the power of the stars. Allow me to give you a taste of her power to show you true power."

In the next moment, the sky above the arena was covered in orbs that looked like windows into the night sky, completely covering the entirety of the city.

"…What…?" Gray mumbled in a daze as the orbs continued to appear in the sky.

" **Tome Magic: Celestial Strike: Rain.** " The man announced and in the next second the sky descended on the field; hitting Gray directly in the chest and from the disembodied cries that sounded off from around him apparently everyone else as well.

"And another massive precision strike descends over the field! Already the first game and we're off to an incredible start!" Chapati screamed out as a bell signaling the end of the match rang out. "Well then everyone, after the first round of the Games our front runner remains Fallen Celestial! With Sabertooth remaining in a close second! Fairy Tail, despite having two teams competing, only managed to score one point between their two teams. Is Fairy Tail's return to power only a dream at this point?"

Gray clenched his teeth in fury as the magical city disappeared. He hadn't been able to score a single point with the fact that he was constantly being targeted, and from the display above the arena Juvia had only been able to score a single point of her own which left Fairy Tail in dead last. The crowd began to jeer at them, laughing at their attempts to fight.

Natsu glared out at the crowd, apparently desiring to fight each and every one who was laughing at them but Erza restrained him before he could get up into the stands. Gray for his part simply stood there, his fist clenched in rage. _Sabertooth…Fallen Celestial…I will get you back for this, I swear it!_

"Now then let us move on to the battle portion of today's events!" Chapati announced as he shuffled through some papers. "First off for today's battle rounds we have Lilith of team Fallen Celestial versus Levy McGarden of Fairy Tail team A!"

 **and here we go with the start of the GMG! another thing that i forgot to mention is that i will not be covering any of the fights that don't involve Fallen Celestial or Fairy Tail, as we all know exactly how those next time.**


	15. Chapter 15

**yay! finally hit 100 followers! thanks to everyone who has been reading this story so far.**

Levy nervously walked towards the center of the arena where the woman named Lilith was already waiting, a childlike smile on her face as she watched Levy approach. If she was being completely honest with herself; Levy wasn't all that confident in her ability to keep up with the greatest wizards in Fiore. But even still she had been chosen by the Master to fight and would fight as hard as she could for her family, especially since Lilith claimed to be the one who attacked Wendy.

Mato walked up to stand in between the two ladies. "Alright you two, you have the entire arena to serve as your battlefield. You have a thirty minute time limit to incapacitate your opponent. If neither side claims victory by the time limit the fight ends in a draw. Understand?" he asked and upon receiving nods from both Mato took a step back and held his hand in the air. "Well then, let the first match begin!" he shouted as he swiped his hand down and someone struck a gong off in the distance.

Levy wasted no time in crouching down and preparing her magic. " **Solid Script: Fire!** " she shouted, her magic manifesting and shooting forward.

Lilith however, simply stood there, as if she was completely oblivious to the fireball that was flying towards her. When the fire was only a few inches away from her face, Lilith leapt into the air, a whip that looked almost like a long rose stem appearing in her hand. "Oh wow, you use Solid script magic? That must make you Levy Mcgarden right?"

"Why does it matter?" Levy huffed as she wrote out lightning which shot out at the blonde.

"Oh; don't worry about it. It doesn't matter to you but I've heard a lot about you over the years." Lilith commented in a chipper tone as she sidestepped the bolt of electricity. "But if that's true then I have something more to do than just to defeat you now."

Levy was about to ask what exactly the woman meant by that but before she could Lilith struck out with her whip, hitting Levy on her leg and causing the blue haired girl to hiss in pain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what exactly is going on down in the arena? Competitor Levy just leapt away from nothing and now has an open wound on her leg? What kind of magic did competitor Lilith use?" Chapati said as the crowd cheered.

 _What? They can't see the whip? Does that mean she uses some kind of illusion magic?_ Levy thought as she tried to ignore the pain in her leg. Somehow the wound hurt a lot more than it should of, but if the whip wasn't real it couldn't be poison or something similar.

"What you're thinking is probably right, what I use is indeed illusion magic." Lilith commented as she coiled the whip around her arm. "However I would appreciate it if you don't consider it anything like a normal illusion spell. You're mind truly believes that this whip is real and your body will respond in kind, even if that means opening a wound that shouldn't exists."

"Well then; I'll just have to make sure that you can't hit me then. **Solid Script: Smoke!** " Levy shouted as her magic took effect, covering the arena in a dense fog. Levy instantly began to sprint around, hoping to get behind the woman and deliver a devastating attack.

However, Lilith wasn't about to let Levy get the upper hand. " **Fourth Illusion: Rose Storm!** " she shouted and in the next moment all the smoke was blown away by a massive wind storm that contained an immeasurable amount of rose petals.

Levy had barely had the time to get a guard word out in time to prevent the wind from throwing her off her feet. But before she could even get her bearings Lilith's whip wrapped itself around her body and with a snap of her wrist, sent Levy flying through the air. _Her illusions are strong enough to affect the world itself? Just how strong is she?_ She thought with her panic beginning to rise as she managed to land on her feet.

"Wow…you're doing better than I would have thought you could." Lilith commented as the whip once again returned to her side. "But it's still a little too early for you to be down for the count, so would you mind standing back up? After all, isn't that what Fairy Tail does?" she said with a smile that reminded Levy too much of Mira's, causing Levy to shiver as she charged back in.

Over the next twenty minutes Levy slowly but surely began to receive more and more injuries while only having managed to land a single blow with a well placed iron word landing directly on the blonde's head, causing said Blondie to clutch her head and pout for a moment. Levy on the other hand had been faring much worse, she had received cuts all over her body and was beginning to feel dizzy from what Lilith described as her "Third Illusion: Vertigo".

"Hey Levy… as much as the crowd is probably enjoying watching our fight I don't see a point in continuing this any longer." Lilith said with what sounded like genuine concern in her voice as she walked up to stand right over Levy, who was on her hands and knees panting heavily.

"N…no way! If I give up now I could never face those who stayed behind while we were trapped on Tenrou Island!" Levy shouted as she shakily got back to her feet. "Besides, Lu would never stay down fighting against a strong opponent, so neither will I!" and after steadying herself Levy pointed out with her pointer finger into the air, earning shouts from the Fairy Tail cheering section.

Levy could see Lilith's eyes go wide in surprise and the hand holding the whip went limp for a second. But before she could even ask what was wrong the surprise as gone and in its place was a look of almost contempt.

"I see…Lu wouldn't give up huh? You don't know how right you are." She said slowly as she cracked her knuckles. "But whoever this "Lu" is she isn't here to help you now, and I guess it falls to me to show you when exactly you should stay down."

Levy sucked in a breath as the air around her seemed to chill instantly, almost like Gray was standing right next to her. Levy jumped backwards, feeing a sense of danger that she couldn't quite explain.

What happened next confused Levy to no end. One second she was standing there, cautiously watching Lilith. The very next she was sent sailing through the air with a sharp pain in her stomach. Flying backwards and rolling across the ground, Levy coughed violently as she tried to get back on her feet. But before she could even get on a knee she was struck again, this time in her side.

"Oh my, out of nowhere Competitor Lilith has begun to move with barely visible speeds, striking competitor Levy over and over. Where was she hiding this incredible speed before?" Chapati observed as the crowd cheered louder.

"It appears that one shouldn't underestimate these new competitors. They clearly earned their first place victory in the first two rounds." Yajima commented, sounding slightly uncomfortable with the one sided beating happening before him.

Levy wasn't sure exactly what was happening; only that she was being constantly hit by a very blurry Lilith, her eyes staring coldly down at Levy. She suffered Blow after blow, being sent flying across the arena like a rag doll only to be sent to the other side of the arena the next second.

And then it was over, Levy crumpled to the ground as her body screamed in pain. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, hell she could barely think through the dull throbbing that coursed through her body.

"So that's all then... a pity. It appears you aren't strong enough to stand alongside her for when she will truly need you." Levy head Lilith say in an almost pained tone, but before she could ask why the palm of the older woman's hand appeared in her view.

"Don't worry, by the time you wake up everything will have been resolved." Lilith said; a faint smile on her lips. "Well then, **First Illusion: Twisted Fantasy.** " And in the next moment darkness overtook Levy's consciousness.

* * *

Lucy could feel a cold fury creep through her consciousness as she watched Levy collapse unconscious and Lilith stand back up, her fist raised in the air in victory. Not only had the demon apparently done something to Fairy Tail before the start of the tournament and now she had beaten Levy senseless, one of the few people Lucy never wanted to see hurt.

Lucy could practically feel the burning sensation from the Fairy Tail's glares and she was sure that the Master was only seconds away from unleashing the giant's wrath upon them. She watched as Lilith walked slowly off the field as Gray and Natsu sprinted out to where Levy had fallen and still not gotten up from. Natsu in particular had an extremely anxious look on his face, one that Lucy couldn't help but feel a pang of anger over. What right did he have to worry about his friends when he had betrayed her?

Lucy remained lost in thought as Lilith bounded back up into the Fallen Celestial's viewing area. "Heya Celestias, did you enjoy watching my performance?"

Lucy glared at the blonde demon, causing Lilith to grimace slightly. "You went way over the line when you used you're true speed and that last illusion . Are you trying to get Fairy Tail to attack us outside of the arena?" Lucy hissed, still keeping her eyes on the spot where her best friend had fallen.

"Aww, don't be like that Celestias, isn't this exactly what you wanted? Revenge on Fairy Tail and the like?"

"Not against their innocent members, Levy did nothing to deserve that level of violence." Lucy refuted as she turned to glare at Lilith. "And don't think I didn't notice you using Twisted Fantasy on her, what were you thinking? That's a spell we use for torturing demons not common fights!"

Lilith puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away. "It's not my fault, she just pissed me off! Talking about things she didn't understand…"

Lucy narrowed her eyes in annoyance, and it was then that she remembered something she had been putting off since the beginning of the day. "Oh right, Lilith…what exactly did you do last night that got Fairy Tail so worked up? You know, you're little "Present"."

Lucy saw Lilith visibly pale at her tone, apparently knowing exactly what Lucy was talking about. "D-don't worry about it Celestias, it was noting important." She stuttered as she tried to make a move for the door.

Lucy however would have none of that, with a snap of her fingers Abaddon was standing directly behind the demon of Lust. A smile on his face and a hand on her shoulder, causing Lilith to squeak in shock as she could no longer flee.

"Lilith…maybe you should think about your answer a little more this time." Lucy warmly asked, taking a page out of Mira's book.

And with that threat Lilith spilled the beans. She informed Lucy about how the previous night she had encountered Wendy and Carla and had decided to steal their magic, leaving them unconscious with magic deficiency.

When Lilith was done Lucy wanted nothing more than to scream her frustrations to the world, but drawing more attention to themselves at this point would only work against them in the end.

"So then, what exactly will we do now then Celestias? At this rate Fairy Tail is likely to come for our blood sooner rather than later." Abaddon commented, his hand still on Lilith's shoulder to keep her from running away.

Lucy looked back down into the arena, where a battle between Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel was taking place. Abaddon did have a point, Fairy Tail hadn't taken the events of Phantom Lord lying down and with Fallen Celestial having attacked their members twice in one day and having clearly targeted them there was no guarantee they wouldn't simply attack the hotel. And while Lucy had all the confidence in her comrades, if they duked it out in the middle of the capital it would make further dealings with Fiore much more difficult.

"I'll just have to fix Lilith's mistakes." Lucy decided with a sigh, still watching the arena as the match ended. "Wendy aside, if I don't free Levy from Twisted Fantasy it will damage her mind."

"U-um…what about me?" Lilith tentatively asked.

Lucy smiled at the demon for a second, letting the older woman smile and relax before answering. "I think I will leave you with Abaddon for your punishment."

Lilith paled even more and the rest of Fallen Celestial shivered. Abaddon's punishments were something no one would wish on another living creature, not even a true demon deserved such pain and humiliation.

"Hold on you can't really mea-." Lilith tried to complain but never got a chance to finish her sentence. Both Abaddon and Lilith disappeared into the pride demon's shadow for parts unknown.

The Fallen Celestial stand remained quite as two more competitors finished their match, eliciting cheers from the surrounding stands.

"Celestias…that was cruel." Alva said her face still pale in fear.

"It's the least she deserves for jeopardizing our goals." Lucy dismissed with a huff as she turned back to see the last two competitors of the day taking the field; Jura and Mystogan.

"Oh? So Jellal is taking part in the first day of games?" Lucy commented as she leaned on the railing. As both their guilds had bones to pick with Zeref and his demons they had worked together a few times in the previous years. While they weren't exactly on friendly terms they had still worked together enough for Lucy to recognize Jellal's magic signature, even if she didn't already know that there was no way it could be the actual Mystogan.

"Should we report this to the organizers? It wouldn't look good for Fairy Tail to have a competitor who isn't part of their guild." Frederick asked as he watched the two wizard saints attack each other.

"…No its fine, no reason to cause any more problems than we already have." Lucy decided as she raised an eyebrow when Jelllal suddenly collapsed on the ground unconscious. As Chapati announced the end of the day's events Lucy couldn't help but sigh as she stood back up and stretched out. "Well then, I might as well go and give Wendy and Levy some help. You guys can go back to the hotel and wait for me there." She commanded as she walked into the hallway that lead back into the stadium.

Lucy moved slowly and carefully through the hallways of the stadium as she made her way towards the Fairy Tail infirmary. With the end of the games the entirety of Fairy Tail should have headed out to their own hotel, leaving only their injured back in the stadium.

Pulling her hood tighter around her head, Lucy ducked in and out of rooms until she reached the door of the Fairy Tail infirmary. However, much to her surprise, she felt another magic signature inside the room besides for the three injured fairies. Deciding it was too late to turn around; Lucy simply decided to swallow her fear and opened the door with all the authority she could muster.

Inside she was surprised to see the Master's old friend, Porlyusica, with potions in both her hands with a scowl on her face. The moment Lucy opened the door her head shot up, her scowl only increasing. "Who are you and what exactly do you think you are doing here? This place is only for Fairy Tail members or those associated with the guild." She warned.

Lucy swallowed her fear of the elder healer before strolling forward into the room. "I have come here to repair the damage my comrade inflicted upon these three."

"Not on your life, little girl, these three are under my care and I will not allow some random person to jeopardize their health." Porlyusica refuted as she moved from Levy's bedside to stand directly in front of Lucy, glaring all the while.

"Is that so? Then I can assume by your statement that you know exactly how to release someone from a Twisted Fantasy spell? A spell that hasn't been seen in Earthland in the last five hundred years?" Lucy questioned knowing full well that even for Fairy Tail's medical advisor Lilith's spell would be a little too much to handle. "But even if you did it doesn't matter to me, you can't stop me even if you wanted to." And before the woman could say anything more Lucy released a burst of her magic, causing the pink haired woman to fall to her knees and her eyes to go wide at the sheer quantity of magical energy.

Using the woman's momentary weakness to her advantage, Lucy walked further into the room until she was standing just before the two beds. Lucy watched the two blue haired girls and white cat with tears forming in the corners of her eyes, wanting nothing more than to give up her persona and hug them all. But as always the coldness washed through her mind and calmed her wavering heart.

Holding her right hand just in front of her chest, Lucy closed her eyes as she switched her magical pathways onto the path of Divinities. "May the light of redemption wash over those who need its serenity." She chanted as her right hand glowed in a white light which washed over the entire room.

When the light faded, Lucy quickly glanced at the three people in the beds, all three now looking like they were simply peacefully napping, before beginning to make her way to the door. Porlyusica briskly walked over to check on Levy and upon confirming that all her wounds had disappeared she looked at Lucy's retreating back with a look of shock on her face.

"Hold it right there, young lady." She commanded in a voice so stern that Lucy inadvertently stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "What exactly is your guilds purpose here? Why attack these children and heal them not a day later?"

"I don't recall mentioning the reason for my being here was to tell you all of my secrets." Lucy coldly denied as she opened the door. "But I can tell you that we are far from done." And with that Lucy opened the door and walked back out into the hallway, leaving a very confused Porlyusica behind.

When Lucy finally returned to the hotel where her guild was staying the sun had set and she was honestly surprised to not see the entire building on fire and an angry Fairy Tail out for blood. Walking into their hotel room, Lucy found a most peculiar sight. Lilith was there, suspended from the ceiling in a way that could excite any mans fantasies. Despite the tears in her eyes she seemed to be enjoying her "punishment" and the other members of her team had simply chosen to ignore her suffering.

Deciding that it was best to just ignore the ecstatic look on Lilith's face, Lucy went to the bed underneath the hanging demon and sat down staring up at Lilith. "So then Lilith, have you repented for your wrongdoings?"

"Ahhhh…please forgive me Mistress Lucy! I promise to do better in the future. Just please spare me!" she cried out as she swung pitifully from the ceiling.

Lucy was about to order Abaddon to release her when she felt a slight twinge in her magic and a second later Virgo was standing right before her.

"Princess, I must protest! Why are you punishing Lady Lilith but still refuse to punish me?" the spirit complained in a rare angry voice, a slight pout on her lips.

"Virgo, we've gone over this. If you want me to give you punishment you have to do something that warrants being punishment." Lucy explained exasperatedly as she rubbed her forehead, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get a good night sleep that night.

* * *

The whole of Fairy Tail had gathered at the bar creatively known as Bar Sun to celebrate the recovery of three of their mages. They had originally gathered to plan an assault on Fallen Celestial in order to deliver retribution for their injured members but when Porlyusica walked through the doors with three smiling girls in tow they all cheered in celebration and broke out the drinks.

Makarov sat on the bar, smiling as his children drank away the pain of a poor first day, even Natsu was smiling as he spun Wendy through the air. He had been furious when he had learned that it had been Fallen Celestial who had targeted his children even before the game began. And even more so when he had been forced to watch Gray and Juvia being targeted in the first game and Levy take blow after blow till the point of unconsciousness. He had been fully prepared to allow his children to repay Fallen Celestial blow for blow but all his rage had disappeared when the three injured children walked through the door better than ever, leaving him with only confusion over who the hooded figure had been.

"Third Master," Master Mavis called as she manifested beside him, her face one of the few serious ones in the bar. "Have you been able to determine why exactly this new guild was targeting our members?"

Makarov shook his head slowly as he took a sip from his mug. "Unfortunately no, Macao could think of no reason for us to be targeted by those mages. The only thing I could think of would be an old grudge from Team Natsu's damages but even that rings hollow."

"But then why come and heal the damage they had caused? Why did this woman Porlyusica mentioned bother to aid us?" Mavis mused out loud, asking the question that was on the mind of every member present.

"Master, do we still intend to raid their hotel tonight? Erza asked as she walked forward, her hand on the hilt of her blade.

"…no, not tonight. We must first determine what their purpose in returning Levy and the others to good health before we resort to violence. It might be that that not every member of their guild is united in their anger against us."

"Speaking of, are we sure that this chick didn't put some strange spell on them while she was healing them?" Romeo questioned as he walked up to the bar, concern for the only other member around his age clear in his face.

"Porlyusica checked them over both before and after they regained consciousness, and besides for not quite being able to recall the events just before falling unconscious she determined that there were no malicious spells placed on them." Makarov refuted, causing smiles to appear on the faces of everyone who was listening in.

"Speaking of Miss Porlyusica, do you know where she went? I wanted to ask her about this magic the mage known as Celestias used." Mavis asked as she stood up on the counter and looked around the bar for any sign of the pink haired healer.

"Apparently Carla wanted to speak to her privately about something and the two of them excused themselves early." Makarov explained in between sips of beer. "I will ask her to speak to you after she retu-, Natsu! Don't light a table on fire you stupid boy! We can't afford to be paying damages when we're trying to get our home back!" the old man shouted as he slammed a massive fist down on the fire dragon slayer, causing everyone to laugh loudly.

* * *

Carla shifted nervously as she stood before Porlyusica, how could she properly explain what she had seen when even she herself couldn't understand it.

"Well then Little one, what exactly did you want to talk about?" Porlyusica questioned, her impatience evident in her voice.

"…I had another vision, one that doesn't seem physically possible." Carla explained slowly as she anxiously grabbed the sides of her dress.

"There are no such things as false visions of the future, only futures that we can't understand at the time. Now then, what exactly did you see?"

Carla clenched her jaw as she struggled to find the words to describe exactly what she had seen. "…I saw Lucy, her body pale and a gaping hole in her stomach. She smiled up at Natsu, who held her tightly and was screaming silently into the night, despite the blood on her lips. The city around them burned and massive creatures stomped through the ruins of Crocus and above the two stood a figure clad in pure black armor, their eyes and exposed body alight with green flame and a bloody sword in their hand."

 **Dun dun dun! what could Carla's vision mean? well you'll just have to keep reading to find out. until next time guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Little bit of a rant here but is anyone else a little disappointed with how weak the enemies in the current manga arc? from how they built it up it made me think it would take like whole teams to take down the leaders but so far the fights have been disappointingly short. ah well, onto the chapter!**

"Welcome one and all to the second day of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati shouted earring a roaring cheer from the crowds in the stadium. "I hope you all got yourselves a good night sleep, because the action is only going to get more intense form here on out! Now then Today's game is a challenge called Chariot, all teams pick your combatants and let's get started!"

Lucy sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to hold off a headache. She felt Alva's gaze burning a hole in the back of her head as the red head watched her .The half dragon had been insistent last night in reminding Lucy of how desperately she wanted to compete and had even crushed Lucy's ribs last night when she sneaked into Lucy's bed to sleep next to her.

"Alva, I know what you want to say but think about the title of the game. Do you really think that a game called "Chariots" won't have some kind of vehicle in it? If you can't move you can't exactly compete." Lucy deadpanned as she stared blankly at Alva.

Lucy could see Alva visibly pale at the thought of getting on a vehicle but even with that she did not relent, her gaze still deadly serious. "It doesn't matter…I'm going to take part no matter what you say."

"But…why? Why's today so special?" Lucy asked exasperatedly.

Alva didn't answer at first, instead turning her head to stare at the Fairy Tail team A balcony. "Because… _he's_ taking part today." Was all she said, her voice turning cold at the end.

It took Lucy only a second to know exactly who Alva was talking about, her eyes instantly finding the pink haired dragon slayer, who was already making his way off the balcony to take part the game.

"hooooooh? I see…" Lucy cooed as she patted Alva on the head, a smug smile on her face. "Wanting to compete against your cousin? That's really cute Alva."

"NO! Celestias! That's not why!" Alva whined as she punched Lucy playfully in the arm, causing Lucy to laugh loudly.

"Alright, alright calm down… and go down there and do your worst."Lucy said as she smiled at Alva.

* * *

"Carla…are you ok? Do you want my fish?" Happy asked with concern as he sat down next to the white Exceed.

"I'm perfectly alright Tomcat… although I suppose I will take that fish." Carla sighed as she tore her gaze away from the Fallen Celestial balcony to look at Happy, who was now cheering as he searched his backpack for his fish.

Carla had been nervously watching the booth of the strange guild all morning, or more specifically the cloaked member who remained a mystery since their appearance on the first day. Porlyusica had informed them when they had woken up yesterday that it had been the hooded woman who had healed them yesterday when they had been unconscious from magical deficiently. She also informed them that it had been her guild mate that had attacked them originally and that their guild had been targeting Fairy Tail from the onset.

Carla gaze returned to the strange guild as she accepted the fish from Happy, who couldn't look happier with his present having finally been accepted. Carla however couldn't bring herself to smile. While she had no proof, she couldn't help but think that the strange guild had something to do with her vision.

Speaking of her vision, Porlyusica had been equally as shocked by what Carla had described, not able to make heads or tails of what Carla had described. She had advised Carla to keep it to herself for the time being, both of them knowing full well that if either of them told Fairy Tail that Carla had a vision of a dead friend they would be whipped into frenzy. Carla did have her reservations about lying to their family but in the end decided to go with the older woman's idea and kept the vision from them.

As she nibbled on Happy's fish, Carla couldn't help but narrow her eyes as she watched the hooded member, who was currently laughing at one of their members. If there was even a cornel of truth to what she had seen she was certain they had something to do with it, and she would be dammed if she let them hurt Wendy again.

* * *

Erza scowled as she watched the Fallen Celestial member take to the field. She had been furious yesterday when she had been forced to watch one of her family be horribly beaten and could do nothing to help them, a feeling of helplessness she hadn't felt since Lucy disappeared that stormy night. She had been one of the most adamant in advocating for an assault on the Fallen Celestial hotel the night previous and even when Levy, Wendy, and Carla had showed up at the bar in perfect health she still felt that they should attack to let their enemies know what happened when they hurt her family. However the Master had decided to postpone the attack and she would respect his decision, even if she didn't agree with it.

Besides, the warning she had received from Jellal also worried her to no end. And as she thought about her blue haired friend Erza couldn't help but think back to the warning he had delivered last night.

 _"Erza; while I'm sure that you want to attack in revenge for your injured family i advise you to wait. Attacking them will only bring Fairy Tail more pain." Jellal warned as they chatted under a bridge, the sounds of a partying Fairy Tail off in the distance._

 _"Jellal, you speak as if you know of this guild. Have you had contact with them before?" Erza questioned with a frown on her face._

 _Jellal however simply shook his head in denial. "Nothing much more than what you already know. We have encountered them a few times in the past as we followed leads on Zeref and I can tell you that each of their members is quite powerful and they seem to hate anything that has to do with Zeref. We investigated them awhile back; they were formed around four years ago but besides for an occasional job given to them by the counsel they never receive job the location of their guild hall remains a mystery."_

 _"They sound almost like a dark guild." Erza commented as she leaned against the wall across from Jellal, still annoyed with having been forced to spare those who fought against her family._

 _Jellal nodded in agreement before continuing, "I would agree with you if it weren't for the council's support of their guild. The council has ignored any action they have taken over the last four years, even attacking dark guilds."_

 _"Hmmmm…do you think that this "Fallen Celestial" has anything to do with the dark magic you have detected years past?"_

 _"…honestly, I can't really tell. I can still feel traces of the magic that remindes us of Zeref's but now there is an even greater darkness in the city now, to the point that it's almost hard for me to detect the original magic." Jellal admitted as he fixed his scarf back over his head and started to walk away. "Just be cautious Erza, whoever Fallen Celestial truly is they aren't a group to be trifled with."_

Erza's scowl continued to grow worse as she glared at the Fallen Celestial balcony, whatever they were planning Erza refused to allow them to hurt her family again, even if she had to break all the rules of the tournament. She wouldn't fail her family like she had with Lucy.

* * *

"Who could have thought that this would happen?" Natsu could hear the voice of the announcer as he struggled to move forward. He had been adamant earlier in taking part in the next game but now he couldn't help but want to hurt his past self for his stupidity.

"With Chariot now in full swing four of the competing guilds are running the course, each competing for first place. On the other hand, four of our competitors seem to be struggling to move forward. What do you think could be the problem Mr. Yajima?" the announcer continued.

"Hmmm…I can only think that the four of them have something in common that keeps them from moving normally." Yajima commented.

Natsu took another step forward as he struggled to keep his breakfast down. Right behind him he could hear both Gajeel and Sting moaning as they too were barely moving, both looking slightly green and very much worse for wear.

However all three were still faring better than last place. Natsu looked farther down the trail of carts to see the crumpled form of the Fallen Celestial fighter, a girl named Alva, nearly passed out on the ground. The moment the game had started and the platforms had begun to move the girl had collapsed onto the ground, the whites of her eyes showing and had started to foam at the mouth. Natsu had been planning to take advantage of the game to attack the Fallen Celestial combatant but after seeing Alva collapse he couldn't help but feel pity for her as someone who also suffered from motion sickness and had simply decided to leave her there to suffer.

"…why the hell are you two trying so hard for a few measly points?" Sting questioned as Natsu and Gajeel moved slightly ahead of him. Both screaming out in shear effort as they struggled to move.

"…we're doing it…for our friends." Natsu managed to say as he continued to crawl forward. "Our Friends…who waited for us…for seven years…they endured so much pain…they stayed strong…and kept our guild together…we're going to prove…that Fairy Tail will always keep going!" Natsu screamed out as he continued to struggle.

"…you of all people…don't have the right to…to talk about your friends…" Natsu could hear an angry female voice from behind. Whipping his head back around, Natsu was shocked to see Alva, still unmoving, glaring at him with a pale face. For a second, Natsu was glad that the girl was suffering from even worse motion sickness than his own because the girl looked like she wanted nothing more at that moment to rip him apart.

When the match finally ended both Natsu and Gajeel laid sprawled out at the finish line, both still feeling nauseas beyond belief but glad that they were finally off of the vehicle. The girl Alva was still on the now unmoving vehicle, seemingly passed out and as pale as death. When Natsu finally managed to rise he was surprised to see the scentless hooded girl walking into the center of the arena. Natsu raised his fists in preparation of a fight but the person didn't seem remotely interested in him, instead they simply walked up to their fallen teammate and cradled the red head in their arms.

The person turned to leave but Natsu took a step forward, "Hey! Wait a sec!" Natsu shouted past his nausa, causing the hooded person to stop and turn their head but they didn't say anything. "I just wanted to say…thanks for healing Wendy and the others. You're not nearly as bad as I first thought." Natsu said with a smile. The person however said nothing, a frown evident on their hooded face, as they turned back and walked away. Natus wasn't lying when he thanked the mystery person for their help, but that didn't change anything. If they kept attacking Fairy Tail Natsu wouldn't hesitate to attack them right back.

* * *

"How is Miss Alva feeling?" Fredrick questioned as Lucy made her way back up into the balcony.

"She's out cold but she's fine, she just needs to sleep it off." Lucy explained as she leaned out over the railing to watch the fight. Down on the field Lucy could see Roland and the dog man from Lamia Scale, Toby, both staring each other down waiting for the start of the match.

"Well then everyone; let's move on to the first match of the day with Fallen Celestial facing off against Lamia Scale!" Chapati announced.

"I expect to see a fair fight out of both players." Yajima commented as he carefully watched the two mages.

"Cool, cool, Cooooolllll!" Jason, the guest announcer for the day, screamed out as he flailed his arms in the air.

"Is everyone ready? Then let the first match…begin!" Chapati screamed out as the gong rang out.

Within a second Toby had extended his claws and sprinted forward, intending to swipe Roland across the chest and paralyze him. Roland however was already prepared for him, activating Astral Teleport and moving himself instantly out of the way. Once he was outside of Toby's attack range Roland activated his own magic, sending a ball of fire directly at the dog man who instantly lowered to the ground to avoid the strike.

"You're really strong!" Toby shouted as the two continued to exchange blow after blow.

"You as well, you're strength is quite impressive." Roland impassively returned to compliment as he shot a bolt of lightning out.

"But you're magic really pisses me off! Are you a fire mage? A lighting mage? What exactly!" Toby shouted angrily as he continued to pursue a teleporting Roland.

"I apologize; but our master has asked us to keep the true nature of our power concealed." Roland explained as he teleported again.

"You're keeping it a secret?! That really pisses me off! If I win you're going to tell me exactly what you're magic is!" Toby shouted angrily as he moved forward with renewed spirit.

Roland looked extremely confused as he dodged the blows. "Im not sure that my master would appreciate me making a bet with no benefit to us, do you have something to offer in return for this bet?"

"Well… if you win I'll tell you my super-special secret!"

Lucy sighed knowing what Roland's answer would be. If it was to obtain information he would do almost anything for it, a personal secret all the more.

"How very interesting…I accept." Roland answered with a smile as they continued to exchange blows.

The battle continued for a few minutes more until Roland managed to land a lucky blow with a lightning spell, paralyzing him and allowing Roland to land the finishing blow. As the crowd roared in excitement Roland walked forward to stand right above Toby. "Well then, as we agreed, ill have you tell me your secret."

Toby had started to cry as he stared up into the sky. "My socks…one of them has been missing for three months now…and I just can't find it anywhere." He said drawing every single pair of eyes in the arena to the sock the dog man was wearing around his neck and causing one of the most uncomfortable silences Lucy had ever had the misfortune of being in.

The stunned silence continued as Roland looked up to Lucy with an absolutely befuddled look on his face. Lucy for her part only shrugged her shoulders in confusion, not really sure what to do either. After a moment of deliberation Roland simply decided to point at the dog mans chest, drawing Toby's gaze to the sock around his neck. Toby yipped in happiness as he put the sock on and crushed Roland in a massive bear hug, causing Roland to both grimace in pain and continue to look absolutely lost.

When Roland finally made it back to the balcony Lucy couldn't help but smile coyly at him. "I'm so glad you managed to make a new friend Roland."

"…I must admit I was hoping for a little better of a secret than the fact he had lost a personal effect. I haven't felt this cheated since the last time I had a one on one conversation with lord Abaddon." Roland said dejectedly as he moved to stand alongside the others.

"Speaking of Abbey where has he been all day? I would have thought he wouldn't miss a chance to make fun of Alva for the world." Lilith questioned as Elfman and a man from Quatro Cerberus, A man named Bacchus.

"I sent him to investigate the strange magic we have felt from the games the last few years. With the amount of attention you guys have gathered over the last two days he's the only one who can really move without gathering too much attention."

The fight between Elfman and Bacchus continued for quite awhile and Lucy had been quite impressed when the middle Strauss sibling managed to win out in the end through shear toughness. The next fight also involved a Strauss sibling, Mirajane, and was a simple glamor showdown. The two going through outfit after outfit that would have made even Lucy embarrassed. At the end however, Mira simply went Satan soul on her opponent and won the game.

The last game however was one that Lucy was much more interested in, Sabertooth versus Mermaid Heel. Sabertooth had claimed the title of Fiore's strongest guild during the time Fairy Tail's strongest were missing and Lucy had always been curious if they deserved the title.

The two women walked down into the arena and seemed to be discussing something, but without the super human hearing of a dragon slayer Lucy couldn't hear them. But they stopped as soon as the gong rang out. Immediately the girl from Sabertooth pulled out a golden key, which signed with a golden light and two massive fish flew through the sky.

"She's a celestial wizard?" Lucy questioned in surprise as the fish darted around Kagura, the Mermaid Heel wizard.

"That was unexpected; to think the final zodiac keys were in the hands of Sabertooth." Frederick commented sounding equally surprised. In addition to pursuing Zeref, Fallen Celestial had also been searching for any sign of the remaining keys.

"What shall we do Celestias? Shall we steal the keys from this Yukino person?" Lilith asked as the fighting bellow intensified, Yukino having called out the thirteenth key.

"No, that won't be necessary. With my demons and the spirits I already have we have more than enough strength. Plus…it's kind of cruel to separate spirits from their owner." Lucy denied as the battle ended, Kagura having struck down the serpent bearer in a single swing of her sword.

"What an incredible match to end the day on. Well then everyone, with the match now over the second day of the Grand Magic Games is over! Look forward to seeing even more action tomorrow." Chapati said as the crowd continued to cheer loudly and began to disperse, thus drawing the second day of the tournament to a close.

"Well then, what shall we do now Miss Celestias?" Roland asked as the crowd continued to disperse.

"You guys can retire to the hotel for the day; I'll stay here with Alva." Lucy answered as she turned to walk to their infirmary. Once there she opened the door quietly to find Alva, still as pale as death, sleeping soundly in the bed. Feeling more at peace than she had felt all day, Lucy crawled into Alva's bed and snuggled up against the half dragon who instantly grabbed onto her.

Seeing Natsu so close and having been talked to by him Lucy had almost lost it right then and there. But thankfully Alva's sad moaning helped keep her in the moment.

Lucy wiped away the tears that formed in her eyes as she felt sleep begin to overtake her. Lucy couldn't help but smile as she thought to what would be coming in the days ahead. Soon she could finally confront Natsu for what he had done.


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm a little disappointed with this chapter but i cant think of anything else to add to it. oh well, hope you all enjoy it anyway**

When Lucy woke next it was to the sound of a roaring crowd. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Lucy groggily raised her head as she tried to recall exactly where she was. After seeing the plain white sheets and smelling the lingering scent of antiseptics, Lucy remembered that she had fallen asleep in the infirmary with Alva and that the two of them must have simply stayed overnight.

Speaking of Alva, said half dragon was still sleeping peacefully with her arms locked around Lucy's waist. She had an almost smug smile on her face, a face that was looking a lot less pale after a good night sleep. She was still lost in her dreams based off the fact that Lucy could see her eyes darting around behind closed eyelids.

Lucy smiled to herself as she patted the half dragon on the head, earring a satisfied hum from the red head, before trying to get out of the bed. However, Alva had other plans apparently, her arms remaining locked around Lucy to the point that if she tried to stand up Lucy would have probably pulled Alva right up with her like some kind of strange hand bag.

"Alva…common, the games have already started. We're gonna miss it." Lucy whined as she continued to pet Alva on the head, causing her to slowly raise her head and stare at Lucy with slowly blinking eyes.

"…Do we have to...it's not like we'll lose to anyone." Alva huffed as she reluctantly released Lucy from her grasp.

Lucy giggled as she stood up, adjusting her cloak and hood so that her face was covered once again. "Maybe so, but it's still only right to support our family when they're fighting."

Alva only moaned in response as she too rose from the bed, clearly not really that interested in getting up yet. The two walked out of their assigned infirmary and out onto the balcony, where the rest of their guild except for Abaddon and Lilith was already waiting.

"Good morning Miss Celetias, Alva, Did you have a good night sleep?" Frederick questioned with a respectful bow.

"As good as I could get on a stiff hospital bed with a dragon trying to crush me." Lucy commented playfully as she accepted a breakfast pastry from the seemingly always prepared armored man. "So the games already began? What exactly did we miss?" she asked as she leaned forward to see a massive evil looking building standing in the center of the arena, the sounds of combat echoing from within.

"The game today is known as pandemonium, a game about defeating demons in order to earn points. Each combatant determines how many monsters they wish to fight, earring points for each one they defeat." Frederick explained as he handed Alva her own breakfast, a massive piece of steak that almost looked to raw to eat safely.

"So I'm guessing by the fact that I don't see Lilith anywhere that she's the one we sent in?"

"Correct, she said something about wanting to redeem herself in your eyes and ran off before we could discuss who to send in." Roland explained from the wall he was leaning against.

"She just probably wanted to avoid having to be punished again." Lucy dismissed with a wave of her hand. "So then how exactly are we doing? Is Lilith racking in all the points?"

Frederick grimaced slightly before answering. "Actually, Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet was the first chosen to fight, and well…" but whatever else she was going to say was lost in the roar of the crowd.

Lucy turned back to the field to see Erza attacking more monsters than could fit on the Lacrima screen at one time. She moved so fast and requiped with such speed that even Lucy was shocked to the point that her mouth simply hung open.

"…Miss Erza chose to challenge all one hundred of the monsters inside." Roland explained with an exasperated sigh.

Lucy continued to watch, with a smile forming on her face, as Erza beat down creature after creature until only the strongest monster remained. Lucy was practically on the edge of her seat as she watched the red head leapt around the arena, unleashing a flurry of blows upon the last remaining creature until at long last the monster collapsed like a statue. The crowd roared so loudly that even Lucy felt the need to cheer for her old friend, allowing her façade of indifference to falter for a second.

Lucy was surprised however when Erza glared up at their booth, her sword held over her head in victory.

"…What's her problem?" Alva growled out, easily noticing the other red heads glare and returning one of her own.

"It's a challenge to us; she letting us know that even if we intend to go to war with Fairy Tail they won't back down. They'll fight us till the bitter end." Lucy explained, her own eyes never leaving Erza's own despite the fact that Erza couldn't detect her gaze.

* * *

After a few minutes of nothing happening down on the field, Mato brought out a device to measure the magical energy of an attack. The remaining seven combatants, including Lilith, now had to attack the device with their most powerful magic and the ones with the strongest attacks would take second place and downwards. Lilith was the fifth to go, a clearly annoyed look on her face as she stood in front of the MPF.

" **Fourth Illusion: Rose Storm!** " she shouted, a gust of wind striking the MPF. However, despite the ferocity she displayed on the first day, she only managed to score a sixty three.

"Hmmmm…not really a score worthy of a lord of sin." Fredrick commented as Lilith pouted down on the arena floor.

"Not exactly shocking, her magic is more about attacking living creatures, against an inanimate object the only thing that would affect it would be the physical force of the spell itself." Lucy defended with a strained smile on her face.

The next two to compete, Orga from Sabertooth and Jura, both attacked the MPF with magic that easily eclipsed the previous contenders, leaving only Cana left to attack.

"Miss Celestias, what level of attack do you think Miss Cana will unleash?" Frederick asked as he stared down at the mage.

"I would guess around four hundred. She's strong, but not ten wizard saints strong." Lucy murmured.

However Cana surprised them all when she threw her jacket away to reveal a glowing tattoo on her right arm. After a quick chant Cana called down a circle of light that struck the MPF with such strength that it destroyed the device entirely, leaving only a maxed out score in its place.

As the light consumed the field, Lucy could hear Alva hiss in pain from behind her. And could see Lilith down on the arena floor clutching her sides in pain as black smoke wafted off her body. Even Lucy herself felt slightly uncomfortable with the level of light, her connection to her demonic pacts wavering slightly as the magic struck the ground.

"What…what in the hell was that?" Frederick scowled as tried to blink away the blinding light, clearly disturbed by the spell on display.

"I have no idea. She never used that spell when I was a member." Lucy said as she struggled to regain control over her magic. "But whatever it was we have to be cautious of it. It seems like it is deadly to demons and their magic."

While Lilith seemed to be in actual pain, Alva appeared only slightly annoyed when the light faded, apparently being only a half demon did have some benefits to it. Lucy laid a comforting hand on the red head's shoulder, knowing full well that Alva wanted nothing more than to attack those who harmed her, her dragon instincts having taken over.

"Owwww…that attack really hurt!" Lilith complained as she walked into the balcony, a pout on her face and small plumes of black smoke coming off her body. "Celestias! Can't we just attack them now and get it over with?"

Lucy however simply shook her head. "No, not until Abaddon locates the source of the Zeref-like magic. Plus the plan Abaddon and I worked out was to confront Natsu and the others on the final day of the tournament, make a whole show out of it you know?"

Lilith didn't comment at first, her face forming into a frown. "And you just agreed to that? Don't you think that just confronting this Natsu character outside of the arena would be a better idea? After all, we'll only draw the attention of all present guilds if we confront them during the tournament."

Lucy frowned as she pondered Lilith's comment. Why didn't she think about attacking Natsu outside of the arena? Now that Lilith brought up the idea, it did make much more sense to confront the pink haired dragon slayer when he was by himself. Lucy tried to think of a reason why she had simply agreed to the pride demons idea, but the moment she tried to think of a reason a cold feeling washed through her mind.

Lucy turned to stare blankly at the Lust demon before answering. "Does it even matter? It's far too late to change the plan at this point."

Lilith's eyes widened for a second before she placed a figure on her chin in contemplation. "Well…I guess you have a point… Oh well, might as well enjoy the ride."

The first two battles of the second half of the day were completely uninteresting to Lucy none of the involving Fairy Tail or her own guild. But that soon changed when they came to the third match.

"Well then, Ladies and Gentlemen, for the third match of the day we have the two guilds that have been at each other's throats from the outset. Get ready for a crazy game; Frederick of Fallen Celestial versus Cana Alberona of Fairy Tail team B!" Chapati announced.

"It appears it is finally time for me to display the true strength of a follow of wrath." Frederick declared as he readied his weapons.

"Just make sure not to go too over the top. I don't want to have to make another trip to the Fairy Tail infirmary." Lucy ordered with a slight glare.

Frederick didn't respond with words, he merely nodded his head as he made his way down to the arena.

* * *

Frederick watched his foe warily as he waited for the referee to start the match. While he had no personal disagreement with the mages of Fairy Tail he had sworn to serve Lady Lucy so long as she deemed him necessary.

Over the last seven years Frederick had gained quite the level of insight into his blonde mistress's mind and he could see how much she was struggling with seeing Fairy Tail again. It was obvious that a part of her still loved her former family and wanted nothing more than to just reveal herself to them. However, so long as the louder voice in her mind was that of revenge Frederick would respect her wishes.

"Hey you!" his opponent, a woman named Cana, yelled out in anger, "what the hell are you bastards trying to gain from attacking us?" she slurred in anger.

Frederick scoffed in dismissal as he drew his halberds. "I have no reason to tell a drunkard our intent. Prove your strength and perhaps I shall share our secrets."

"Pretty big talk from a guy wearing such thick armor." Cana insulted as she drew some cards from the bag at her side.

"Ok you two, keep it clean alright?" Mato asked as he glanced nervously between the two, both of whom simply ignored the pumpkin man. "Alright then, let the third match…begin!" Mato yelled as the gong rang out.

Frederick attempted to close the distance between the two of them but before he could even take more than a few steps there were already three magic cards filled to the brim with lightning hurtling towards his face.

Taking a step back and spinning one of his halberds in front of him, Frederick managed to dispel the electrical attack. The second he did, he focused his magic into the blade of the other blade and slashed out, sending an arc of green energy directly at the brown haired mage who dodged under the attack and returned fire almost immediately.

The two continued their back and forth off attack and defense for what felt like an eternity to Frederick. He had not been this challenged since the first time he had fought against Lady Lucy and he could finally appreciate her caution in attacking Fairy Tail in full force.

Frederick found it strange that his opponent held back from using the spell that devastated the MPF earlier. The only excuse he could think of was that the spell required some sort of chant or preparation in order for her to use it, and Frederick wasn't about to allow her the time to use her spell.

"Got to admit baldy, you have some pretty decent moves for a guy covered head to toe in armor." Cana complemented as she tried to catch her breath.

"I thank you for your complement, you yourself move quite well for someone who is four barrels into their drink." Frederick begrudgingly returned the compliment as he tightened his stance.

The two glared at each other for a second before both charged in, intending to end the battle once and for all. However before they could unleash their attacks the gong rang out again.

"Ohhh, so sorry you two. But time is up." Mato declared as the crowd cheered.

Frederick scowled as he turned to walk off the arena floor, barely hearing the announcers complementing the two mages for their skill but Frederick couldn't care less. He had failed, his Mistress had entrusted him with this battle and he couldn't even completely finish off his opponent.

When he finally reached the tunnel he couldn't help but slam his fist into the wall in anger. _I will not fail Lady Lucy again._

* * *

Jellal watched the last match of the day with a frown on his face. He could feel traces of the strange magic lingering around the arena since the third match between Fallen Celestial and Fairy Tail and it had been growing steadily stronger. Now; Wendy was down in the arena, fighting against a sky god slayer whose magic felt too much like that of Zeref's. Jellal watched the match on the edge of his seat but in the end he chose not to interfere. Wendy was finally standing on her own two feet and fighting, and that wasn't something he could intervene in.

When the match finally ended in a draw as well Jellal breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could smile he detected a new unsettling source of magic. Whipping his head around, Jellal determined that the magic was originating from a white cloaked person who was currently moving through the crowd. The person was giving off a feeling eerily similar to that of Zeref's own magic but somehow lighter, or perhaps brighter, than what Jellal was used to.

 _Damn it! They're moving through the crowds in order to not be discovered? And someone from the Magic Counsel seems to have noticed me…_

Jellal tried to wait until the mysterious person was in a more open area before confronting them but much to his chagrin he ended up being stopped by mages from the council, and while he eventually managed to defuse the situation with the aid of Yajima he ended up losing the person who was releasing the magic.

 _Damn it…what exactly is going on here? Who is it that is moving behind the scenes?_ Jellal complained as he scanned the crowd in an attempt to find the white cloak, but whomever it was had left no traces. Leaving Jellal with nothing but questions as he moved through the crowded streets.

* * *

Lucy silently stared out at the sleeping city, a feeling that she couldn't find for herself at that moment. It felt almost like there was fire flowing through her veins as her gaze fell upon the stadium.

"Lucy…? Can't you sleep?" Alva's tired voice sounded off from the room behind Lucy, who turned to see a very sleepy looking Alva staring back at her.

"It's nothing much…just feeling excited for tomorrow." Lucy smiled as the red head moved to stand alongside her. "Everyone else has had a chance to fight and I'm feeling like it's finally time for me to cut loose."

"Well then…I feel sorry for whoever goes up against you tomorrow." Alva commented with a giggle, causing Lucy's smile to grow both wider and more predatory. Alva had no idea how right she was right; she couldn't wait to fight to her heart's content in tomorrow's games no matter who stood before her.

 **Woooh! the next chapter things are really going to get going. until then everyone!**


	18. Chapter 18

Levy swam with confidence as she maneuvered herself to where Mato indicated was her starting point in the giant water ball that was serving as the arena for the Naval Battle. The moment that Erza had asked who would take part in today's game forward Levy had been the first to volunteer. While the others told her that she had no reason to feel bad about her loss on the first day she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for how little damage she had been able to inflict on her opponent that day and she couldn't help but want to make up for it today.

The other competitors continued to jump into the massive ball of water, each taking their assigned positions with Juvia directly across from Levy and the competitor from Sabertooth, Minerva, at the top of the water ball looking condescendingly down at the others.

However, neither her fellow guildmate nor the mage from the strongest guild in Fiore drew Levy's attention. At the bottom of the water ball was the competitor from Fallen Celestial, a girl around Levy's age who was introduced as Celestias by Chapati. Celestias turned out to be the strange cloaked member of their team and even in the water she still wore her black cloak, something that Levy couldn't imagine was very easy to swim with. The girl was wearing a black two piece swimsuit that showed off the girl's curvy body, earning the strange girl more than a few cat calls from the stands.

The calls however stopped when people noticed the horrible scar on the girl's stomach. Levy herself couldn't help but grimace when she saw the almost angry lines across her stomach right above her belly button. Levy couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the girl to give her such a horrible wound. Celestias herself seemed uninterested in the mages who surrounded her and simply stared off into the distance apparently lost in thought.

"Are we all ready for the start of the games?" Chapati questioned, receiving a roar from the crowd. "Well then, let today's game the Naval Battle begin!" he shouted with the ring of the gong.

Almost instantly Levy was struck by Juvia's water cyclone but managed to keep herself from falling out with a water word spell of her own, pushing her back closer to the center. She could see out of her peripheral that Jenny had eliminated the mage from Quatro Cerberus and that the others had started to attach each other with only Minerva and Celestias holding back from attacking, both simply swimming in place.

"Juvia thinks it is about time for me to eliminate you all from this game using my new attack gained from my second origin!" Juvia shouted as she gathered a large quantity of magic into her hand. "May the wings of love reach you! **Darling Gray Love!** " she shouted as she created an immense current that swept across the water ball.

While fighting off the embarrassment she felt for Gray and Juvia for having such a ridiculous sounding attack name, Levy barely managed to keep herself in the arena through a combination of a water spell, wind spell, and a wall spell. Which barely kept her in the orb and in the game. When the current finally dissipated, only four mages remained in the field. Herself, Juvia, Minerva, and Celestias.

"Hoh? You fairies are not quite as weak as I thought." Minerva condescendingly mocked as she stared down from the spot she had started from. "But Sabertooth will not lose to the weakest guild and some no name competitors." And in the next moment a strange magic began to gather in her palms. "And when a tiger eats, it always starts with its strongest foe!" she shouted as she pointed her palm at Celestias, causing the water around the mage to explode in a cloud of bubbles.

"What a strange attack? Is Competitor Celestias out of this competition as well?" Chapati asked as the bubbles continued to explode around Celestias as Minerva unleashed another attack.

Levy almost felt sorry for the Fallen Celestial competitor, as she told that it was her that healed her wounds after the first day. However her concern appeared to be misplaced, as the bubbles dissipated to reveal Celestias still in the same place as she had been before with a thin bubble of black magic surrounding her.

"What's this? Competitor Celestias is completely unharmed. What strange magic did she use to escape?" Chapati questioned.

The face under the hood turned to look at Minerva, and while her face remained mostly obscure Levy could see an almost feral grin on her face. "I'm honored that the great Minerva considers me the biggest threat here. Then I guess I'll just have to live up to your expectations." And at that moment she crossed her arm before her chest, one gloved hand glowing with black magic and in the other grasping something that made both Levy and Juvia gasp in shock.

In her other hand was a key, a golden key that was glowing with a gentle golden light.

"Open: Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius! Come forth: demon of Wrath who haunts the sea, Leviathan!" Celestias shouted, causing both the darkness and the light around her to grow stronger.

As the light and shadows fadded away, two new beings now flanked the hooded mage. One was a massive sea monster that looked like a cross between a snake and a shark. The monster glared at Levy and the others and growled with a mouth that was filled with far too many teeth. Its body was covered in completely black scales that seemed to almost absorb the light from its surroundings, making the monster seem all the more imposing.

The other being was one that Levy was far more familiar with, a spirit that caused unbidden tears to gather in the corners of her eyes. "T-that's Aquarius… she has Lu's key!" she gasped out as her had shot up to her mouth.

"Competitor Celestias has summoned aid to her side, Mr. Yajima, what magic did she use to call these two out?"

"Hmmm…the mermaid is a celestial spirit…but the other I'm not quite sure where that one came from." Yajima commented, his curiosity obvious in his voice.

"Y-you…Juvia wants to know how you summoned that spirit!" Juvia shouted in rage as she pointed at the hooded mage, who didn't bother to look at her.

"…Aquarius, Leviathan, deal with these mages." Celestias commanded in an almost bored tone.

Instantly the massive water creature began to swim through the orb, so fast that Levy almost couldn't see it. She heard Minerva yell in surprise and pain. Levy looked over to see the Sabertooth mage in the jaws of the sea monster, her magic just barely holding off the monsters jaws although some of the teeth had managed to sink into her arm before she could stop the blow. The monster however continued to swim through the orb, still holding Minerva in its jaws, before whipping its head to the side and sending the mage flying outside of the arena and impacting the wall with a dull cracking noise.

"Ohhhh! Minerva is sent flying out of the arena! Leaving only the two mages of Fairy Tail and Fallen Celestial left in this fight. Who will come out on top?"

Levy could feel a cold pit in her stomach as the mage turned her head to stare at the two Fairy Tail mages. "Well then, I guess it's just use three now. Aquarius if you would." Celestias said as the mermaid swam forward and began to collect water in her vase.

"Aquarius! What happened to Lucy! Why are you working with another mage?" Levy shouted, having met the water bearer a few times back during the day.

"Sorry Kido, my master doesn't want us talking during the match." Was all Aquarius said as she unleashed a torrent of water at Levy, that struck Levy like a solid wall, sending her flying almost outside of the water but Levy just barely managed to save herself.

"Juvia is saddened to see her love rivals spirit here but Juvia cannot relent, I will still defeat you!" Juvia shouted as she too unleashed a wave of her own water, but it was only able to barely hold off Aquarius's own attack.

Levy hesitated for a second, unsure if she should help Juvia hold off the water spirits attack or attack the summoner directly. However the choice was made for her in the next second when a roar shook her from above. Levy whipped her head up to see a mouthful of teeth bearing down on her. Levy instantly put up a guard word spell in order to hold off the monster that now looked furious at being kept from his prey.

"You two are holding up better than I expected, but it's time that I finish this fight." Celestias declared as she raised her hand, an orb of what appeared to be the night sky appearing in her hand. " **Celestial Strike: Rain.** " She declared, the orb in her hand splitting apart and sending a shower magic down on Levy and Juvia, who screamed out as they were ejected from the water.

Levy landed painfully and could hear Chapati announce the end of the match but Levy couldn't care about that. Instead she stared wide eyed at the hooded mage who had dismissed her two summoned creatures and was now descending from the orb and began to walk away from the arena floor.

"W-wait a second! How did you manage to get those keys? D-did you find them off a body?" Levy questioned, almost hysterically, as she clasped her hands across her chest. However Celestias simply ignored her as she vanished into the shade of the hallway, leaving Levy sore and confused.

* * *

Lucy walked through the dark hallway with a frown on her face and was biting her lower lip. She had lost herself in the match for a second when Minerva attacked her, almost allowing Leviathan to end the black haired mage's life right then and there, something she only realized the danger she had placed Minerva in when the she had been trapped in Leviathans massive jaws. Lucy quickly exerted her control over the archdemon, forcing it to simply to throw the Sabertooth mage out of the water like a doll.

 _I have to maintain better control, at least in the fights that don't involve Natsu himself._ Lucy thought as she continued to make her way back to her viewing area.

"Excuse me child, but could I have a word with you?" a kind but stern old voice called out to her, causing both her breath and her legs to stop. Slowly, Lucy turned around to find Makarov, a sad smile upon the old man's face and his ten wizard saint robe on his shoulders. _W-why is Master here?_

"Is there something I can help you with? Master of Fairy Tail." Lucy questioned in the coldest tone she could muster despite the turmoil in heart.

Makarov continued to smile as he strolled closer to Lucy and looked up at her. "I simply had a question about the golden keys at your side young one." His smile faded then, leaving only a look of sorrow on his face. "Seven years ago my family lost one of our own on a stormy night during a job that went horribly wrong." He explained his face falling even farther into sorrow, Lucy's own panic growing in direct proportion to her Master's sadness. "She was celestial mage who was loved by both her spirits and her guildmates. However when she disappeared we were never able to find her resting place or her keys." Master Makarov paused then as he stared down at the pouch at Lucy's side. "I assume by the fact you own the key of Aquarius that you found the keys she had on her at the time correct?"

Lucy bit her lip harder as she debated whether or not to answer her surrogate father. In the end however she nodded her head in confirmation, not willing to trust her voice not to crack considering the situation.

"Then you also have the key of Leo the Lion correct?" Makarov asked, to which Lucy nodded again, "then would you be willing to allow me to speak to him? Leo was also a member of my guild and would have been the last to see Lucy alive…he could finally give my children piece of mind." The elderly man explained with tears in his eyes.

 _Of course he could tell you, but if I let him out it will only cause problems for me in the future…but I don't really want to lie to Master._ Lucy thought to herself in a panic as she tried to think up an excuse that would satisfy the wizard saint.

There was a few seconds of silence between them before Lucy finally shook her head in denial. "I am sorry, Master Makarov, but if I summon Leo right now it would cost me quite a bit of magic. And without any guarantee that I won't be selected for today's battle portion as well I must save my magic."

Makarov clearly didn't look satisfied with her reply, but whatever complaints he had he kept to himself. "I see…well then I have something else I want to ask you as well." His face then contorted in anger, his fists clenched at his side. "Why has you're guild been targeting my children in this game? Were it not for the fact that you healed those you wounded on the first day we would have already moved to destroyed you." He declared as he released wave of magic that would have made most mages go weak in the knees, but only made Lucy slightly uncomfortable.

"…I do apologize about the actions of my comrades on that first day. Lilith acted at her own discretion and she has been punished for her actions…however let me ask you this, Master Makarov, if one of your "Children" was a murderer would you still defend them? Or would allow them to face justice at the hands of those most hurt by their actions." Lucy asked, causing a look of shock to cover the elder mages face. But Lucy didn't stay to hear his answer, turning around with a swish of her cloak and strolled down the hallway.

When she finally returned to her balcony she was instantly tackled by Alva, who grabbed her in a bone crushing hug. "Good job in your match Celestias… you shocked the crowd with your strength."

Lucy smiled as she patted the half dragon on the head. "Thanks Alva; how are the tag team matches going?" Lucy asked as she looked down into the arena to see Lyon and Yuka versus Kagura and Millianna. She could also feel almost every eye in the Fairy Tail cheering section on her although she simply chose to ignore it.

"The first match is already over and it wasn't all that interesting, just guys physically beating each other until one side fell." Roland commented in a bored tone.

"There is nothing wrong with men proving their strength to each other, Sir Roland." Frederick refuted as the match ended in a draw, causing the crowd to roar in support.

The next match was one that had Lucy and the rest of the crowd on the edge of their seats, Sting and Rouge versus Laxus and Gajeel. The four dragon slayers threw ever increasing powerful attacks at each other but in the end Laxus simply too strong to be denied his victory and Fairy Tail team B claimed their victory.

 _Once again we're up against Fairy Tail? It appears someone on the tournament committee knows something they shouldn't about my guild._ Lucy thought to herself as Laxus and Gajeel left the arena, leaving only two teams left to compete.

"What an incredible match between four dragon slayers! This year's magic games are certainly shaping up to be the most intense yet!" Chapati roared as he shuffled some papers in the announcer booth. "Well then ladies and gentlemen, on to the last match of the day, and what a match it will be. Two teams that have been at each other's throats since day one now once again going head to head. Who will come out on top? Let's give a big round of applause for Fairy Tail team A: Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster versus Fallen Celestial: Celestias and Alva!"

* * *

Lucy watched as Gray and Natsu made their way into the arena, both glaring at Lucy and Alva as they made their way to where Nato indicated. Lucy stared passively at her two former teammates, the coldness she had long adapted to washing through her mind keeping her more useless thoughts in the background.

"…Celestas…I want to ask you for a favor." Alva growled out with her eyes never leaving her two opponents. "…can you leave Natsu to me?"

Lucy glanced at Alva, who was growling under her breath, before once again turning back to Gray and Natsu. "…that's fine, just don't go overboard." Lucy mumbled under her breath, moving slightly off to the side in preparation for attacking Gray.

"…Answer something for me before we begin." Gray asked with a furious tone, "Why do you have those keys? They don't belong to someone like you."

Lucy sighed as she placed a hand to her forehead. "…these keys have been mine for more than seven years Fullbuster, they are mine more than you could possibly know."

Gray bristled at Lucy's rebuttal and was about make his own snide comment when Mato moved between them.

"Now now you four, save your passion for the match." Mato said as he tried to defuse the situation but his comment was simply ignored by the four mages. The pumpkin head sighed loudly before stepping back. "Well then Kabo, just… try to keep it clean, and may the last match…begin!"

The moment the gong rang out Natsu was already lunging directly at Lucy, his eyes filled with rage and his fists already covered in flames. But before Lucy could even deploy a barrier Alva was already in front of him, her own eyes contracting to thin slits as her dragon senses took over and her hands lashing out to grab onto Natsu's arm.

"You're fights with me Dragneel, you would do well to remember that." Alva threatened before spinning Natsu through the air and sending him flying to the other side of the arena, Alva herself following almost immediately after. Lucy casually looked over to see the two trading blows at such speed that their arms were simply blurs of motion, but seeing Natsu's anxious face it was clear who had the upper hand.

" **Ice Make: Lance!** " Lucy heard Gray yell, likely sending the attack directly at her when she was distracted. However Lucy didn't even feel remotely in danger as she casually created a dark matter barrier that easily deflected the icy spears.

"Wouldn't think that a Fairy Tail mage would attack while someone is distracted, are you that desperate for a victory against us?" Lucy sarcastically commented as she glanced back Gray, who had somehow lost his shirt in the few seconds that Lucy hadn't been paying attention to him.

"Not my fault if you aren't taking this seriously." Gray smirked as he placed his fist on top of his other open hand and sent an icy saw blade flying out in her direction.

Lucy however wasn't going to give him the chance to attack her again. Holding her left hand up which began to glow with a black light. "Demon of sloth, demon of wrath, come forth and obey our pact." And in front of her a massive cloud of black smoke appeared out of nowhere, the saw blade flying into it and the sound of ice striking rock resounding throughout the arena.

As the smoke began to clear a deep rumbling echoed from within, and when the smoke finally cleared it revealed two massive demons. One was a massive rock monster that towered over the field, a slight gash on its chest where Gray's attack had stuck it. The other was black skin and watched Gray with a predatory look in its eyes, a massive hammer held in its hands and its green eyes watching him with a mirth that seemed out of place for such a evil looking creature.

"And there it is! Competitor Celestias's strange summoning magic. Mr. Yajima, do you have any idea what magic this is? Chapati asked the question that was on nearly every mages mind as they watched the two massive demons.

"Hmmmm…I can't say that I know. Miss Celestias calls them demons but I have no knowledge of a summoning magic that calls upon demons." Yajima said as he cautiously watched the demons.

Lucy simply smiled as the two demons growled deeply, both watching a startled Gray. "Attack." She ordered the Wrath demon, which bellowed and lumbered forward and slammed its hammer into the ground where Gray had been standing mere moments before. The sloth demon moved to stand between Lucy and Gray in case it had to intercept another attack.

As Lucy watch Gray dodge attack after attack she felt an immense heat at her back and a deep rumble. Turning around she saw that Natsu had finally decided to unleash his flames and was currently breathing a cloud of flames at the spot where Alva was standing. However Lucy wasn't the least bit concerned for Alva's safety as the flames washed over the redhead.

Alva's outline shimmered in the heat of the fire for a second before she leaned back and a loud slurping sound echoed throughout the arena. In the next second every bit of Natsu's fire disappeared into Alva's mouth, causing Natsu to make a loud choking noise as he stared wide eyed at Alva.

"Y-you're a fire dragon slayer?!" he stammered out as he pointed accusingly at Alva.

"…Noting so simple." Alva refuted as she sucked in a gulp of air, and a second later unleashed a torrent of greenish flames at the unsuspecting dragon slayer. Natsu was sent flying as the flames exploded right before they touched him.

"What the hell! I can't eat you're flames either? This sucks!" Natsu screamed out as he was sent pin wheeling through the air.

"I would be disappointed to say the least if someone of your caliber was able to consume my flames." Alva sneered as she lunged after Natsu clearly not willing to give the poor man a breather.

 _I almost feel bad for Gray for being dragged into this fight…almost._ Lucy thought as she watched Gray get sent flying through the air as well, cursing just as loudly as Natsu was.

* * *

After ten minutes of watching Gray and Natsu being sent flying through the air Lucy was finally getting frustrated with how things were progressing. Lucy and Alva had intended to finish the match within five minutes or so to prevent too many of their techniques being seen but every time her wrath demon was about to land a blow Gray would just barely escape the blow. and while Alva clearly had the upper hand on Natsu as he couldn't devour her flames as she could his Alva appeared to have given into her dragon instincts making her want to toy with her prey and Natsu had never been one to go down easily.

 _Alright, I've had enough of this. Its time for me to stop playing around._ Lucy thought to herself as she snapped her fingers twice, drawing the attention of Alva's enhanced hearing. The red head knew instantly what Lucy's signal meant, and encased her fists and feet in fel flames in preparation.

Lucy mentally ordered the Sloth demon to prepare itself for anything as she prepared her magic. _Let's end this fight in a single blow!_

" Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...

All the stars, far and wide...

Show me thy appearance..."

She could see Gray's eyes go wide in shock as he realized what spell Lucy was casting and he redoubled his efforts to attack her, attempts which were easily intercepted by her sloth demon.

"With such shine.

Oh Tetrabiblos...

I am the ruler of the stars...

Aspect become complete...

Open thy malevolent gate."

Alva, having known before hand what Lucy was planning, waited until that moment to lunge at Natsu and with a burst of speed from the flames covering her feet and rammed into him sending him flying through the air till he was right above Gray.

"Oh 88 Stars of the heaven...

Shine!

 **Urano Metria!"**

The moment Lucy finished her chant the area around the two Fairy Tail mages was consumed in a cloud of smoke from the countless meteor strikes, shaking the entire arena and sending a shock wave rippling throughout all present. And while her two demons had been forced back to Underworld due to her need for more magic power, Lucy wasn't concerned in the slightest.

"An overwhelming strike! Are Competitors Natsu and Gray still standing? Or have todays battles drawn to a close?" Chapati screamed into his mike as the dust.

Lucy narrowed her eyes as she stared into the dust cloud, looking for any sign of her former teammates, however nothing seemed to be moving within.

Lucy turned around to face Alva, a smug grin on her face. "Good job Alva, they're surely done for no-." Lucy was about to say but stopped when she heard a sound that made her blood run cold, the roar of an angry dragon. Spinning around, Lucy stared in shock as a very angry looking Natsu was using Alva's own tactic of flying forward using his fire and was only a few feet away from her.

 _N-no way! How did he-?_ Lucy thought in a panic as she tried to step back from the furious dragon slayer. However, in her surprise, she wasn't fast enough.

Natsu launched his fist forward, his hand encased in flame, and aimed right for Lucy's face. Lucy could hear Alva's startled scream from behind her but the half dragon had no time to intervene.

Natsu's fist connected with Lucy's face, burning away her hood revealing her blonde hair now bloodied face for the world to see.

 **Things are really gonna start heating up from hear folks. Also, for those of you who are interested, i started a spinnoff of this story with another user called Fallen Dragon. it will focus more on Natsu and his struggles to take Lucy back from Abaddons hold. give it a try if youre looking for something new to next time!**


	19. Chapter 19

**wow...so i got eleven reviews last chapter, the most i have ever gotten for a single chapter. so while i don't normally do this i want to give a shout out to everyone who reveiwed last chapter.**

 **so thank you to** **xzEr00nly1x, Jarjaxle, Gaia Kame,CherryBlossomFire,Wolfshadow1, FairyTailWeeaboo, Aqua Fire Queen, WordsWithoutFriends, and of course to the guests. thank you all for your support, it really means a lot to me to know that people enjoy my writing.**

 **Now then, on with the chapter!**

Natsu sneered in victory as he emerged from the cloud of smoke and launched himself at the Celestias woman. Gray had barely managed to get an ice dome to protect the two of them from the entirety of the night sky trying to kill them and even with it they still didn't come out unharmed. Gray was practically down for the count and with the one sided beating that Natsu had suffered from strange fire chick even he was starting to feel sore. They had to finish this fight as quickly as possible.

Luckily, the Celestias chick didn't seem to have expected them to be still standing and while Natsu still couldn't make out most of her face he could see her mouth open in shock as she took a step back trying to avoid him, but she was far too late to get out of Natsu's attack.

 _Got you now!_ He cheered internally as his fist connected, burning away the girls hood and sending her skidding backwards. Natsu was about to follow through with a kick but before he could even take a step forward he noticed something that caused his body to go numb in shock and his mind .

The woman's blonde hair whipped around her head making it look like there was a glowing halo around her head. Her brown eyes, filled with anger and annoyance, glared at him in retribution for his blow. A thin trail of blood dripped down her chin, clear evidence that what Natsu was seeing was not in fact a hallucination as his mind tried to make him believe.

Taking an involuntary step back, everything in Natsu's world seemed to drain of color in that moment with the exception of the blonde woman who had haunted his nightmares for the last nine months. His breath came in short gasps as he tried desperately to make sense of what he was seeing.

It was Lucy…Lucy Heartfilia was standing right before him.

"L-Lucy?!" Natsu managed to choke out as he took another step back, the sound of the crowd and his surroundings being drowned out by the rapid breathing of his heart.

Celestias, or whoever the hell she was, merely stared back at him, her face a mask of anger and something else that Natsu couldn't identify in his confusion and her blood still trailing down her lip.

 _It can't be…IT CAN'T BE! Luce's gone…she can't be standing there!_ Natsu tried to convince himself as his hearing started to return even though the entire arena had become deafly quiet, only an occasional murmur from the crowd breaking the silence.

In the next second Natsu could hear the rest of Fairy Tail realize who exactly was standing in the arena. He could hear someone, Levy from the sound of it, screaming from the stands and the sounds of the others crying out in shock. He could hear Gray making choking noises from behind Natsu clearly struggling to make words come out of his mouth but only managed to produce a stuttering sound.

All the while the woman who looked like Lucy simply stared at Natsu, not even bothering to wipe away the blood that trailed down her lips. She simply stared, something that unsettled Natsu more than if she had been screaming bloody murder at him.

"LLLLUUUUSSSSHHHHIIIII!" Natsu could hear Happy scream out from somewhere behind him, drawing the woman's eyes away from him for a split second before she muttered something so quietly that even Natsu's enhanced hearing couldn't pick up on it and a second latter a strange magical bubble appeared around her form.

Natsu didn't even have time to question why she deployed a barrier when a flash of blue speed past him, straight for the Lucy look-alike. However Happy wasn't able to hug her like he clearly intended to do, the woman's barrier causing him to bounce off and land on the ground with a plop.

Natsu quickly moved to pick Happy up, who was staring up at the woman with a look of hurt and confusion on his face. "…Lucy?" he questioned tentatively his tiny paws reaching out in hopes of being held by her. However the woman didn't even glance at the blue Exceed, her gaze having once again returned to glare at Natsu.

"I-is it really you…Luc-." Natsu started to ask as he took a step forward, but before he could even finish his sentence the red head that he had been fighting appeared in between them, her face a mask of fury.

"Back away Dragneel, now." She warned in such a cold tone that Happy shivered in his arms. The woman was behaving so differently than when they had been fighting that Natsu couldn't help it when his eyes widened in shock. His surprise lasted for only a second however before it gave way to rage, a low and menacing growl escaping his lips. She would not stand between him and Lucy, his dragon slayer instincts wouldn't allow it.

But before he could even warn the woman away three more figures appeared in front of him. The rest of team Fallen Celestial, their faces mirroring that of the Alva chick, were now forming a wall between Natsu and his goal and were releasing enough magic pressure to make even Natsu nervous.

It was then that Natsu heard the sound of people running up behind him. Turing his head slightly, Natsu saw that the entirely of Fairy Tail had jumped down onto the field and were now making their way over to him. Everyone's face mirrored Natsu's own, clearly uncertain of what was going on but determined to get to the bottom of it and confront those who had caused their family pain.

"What exactly is going on here?" Erza questioned with her authoritative but anxious tone. But no member of Fallen Celestial was forthcoming with an answer. "Speak! Why does that woman look identical to Lucy Heartfilia! Why does she have Lucy's keys!" she shouted as she drew a blade and pointed it forward.

"What an interesting twist! The Fairy Tail and Fallen Celestial guilds have charged down onto the field. Mr. Yajima, do you have any idea what's going on down there?" Chapati questioned.

"I can only assume that Fairy Tail knows who Miss Celestias really is from her face being revealed and are obviously upset by her presence here." Yajima commented, clearly concerned for his old friends guild.

"L-lu…is it really you?" Natsu heard Levy breathlessly questioned, a low growl emanating from Gajeel who had moved to stand next to the tiny woman in case her legs gave out again like they had the moment the woman's hood had fallen away.

It was then that Master Makarov walked forward, placing a comforting hand on Natsu's leg, and stared wide eyed at the blonde Celestial mage.

"Miss…Celestias, can you please explain why you resemble Lucy Heartfilia to such an unsettling degree?" he questioned, his voice filled with emotions Natsu couldn't quite identify.

The woman opened her mouth to answer, but before she could utter a single syllable a man in a white suit was suddenly standing directly in front of her, an arrogant smile on his face and his body bent in a humble bow.

"Master of Fairy Tail, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The man smoothly said, his smile never leaving his face. "I am the current guild master of Fallen Celestial; Abaddon."

Natsu heard Levy gasp in shock but he didn't dare turn around to check on her, his attention fully held by the black haired man who had popped out of nowhere. Natsu couldn't figure out why, but there was something about this man that unsettled him to the core. It was almost like an aura or a smell coming off him that just made Natsu suspicious of the man's very presence.

Makarov stared up at the man with distrust on par with Natsu's clear on his face. "You are their guild master? Then perhaps you would be willing to offer an explanation as to why one of your members bears an uncanny resemblance to one of my lost children?" he asked with barely contained fury.

"I would be happy to Makarov; however I do not believe that the center of the arena would be the most prudent location to have such a discussion." Abaddon explained as he handed a new black hood to the woman, who promptly placed it around her shoulder and once again hid her golden locks in darkness. "I propose that the three of us discuss these matters tonight, away from curious ears and prying eyes." The man said as he gestured between Makarov, himself, and the now hooded woman. "Will that be acceptable to you Master Makarov?"

Natsu turned to stare at Gramps, who now had conflicted look on his face. "That will be…acceptable, I shall await you at the Sun Bar tonight." Natsu was about to scream out to refute the master but Makarov tightened his grip on Natsu's leg, letting the fire dragon slayer know that this was not the time to pursue it.

The suit wearing man's smile grew wider as he bowed again. "I thank you for your understanding; truly you are wise beyond you're years." He then turned to Mato, his smile faltering for a second. "I apologize, Mr. Referee, but I must withdraw Fallen Celestial from this tournament as of now."

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise, a reaction that was mirrored by nearly every person in the crowd and even the members of Fallen Celestial as Mato stared up at the man.

"A-are you sure Kabo? Your team is poised to win this thing, and we cant let you back in once you withdraw."

"Oh I am sure; after all we have already accomplished our objective." Abaddon cryptically announced as he turned back to Fairy Tail. "Well then, Master Makarov, until tonight." And with that the man snapped his fingers, causing Fallen Celestials shadows to expand unearth them and they slowly began to sink into the inky darkness.

Natsu took a step forward and was about to reach out for the now hooded blonde woman but stopped himself. _Do I really have the right to go after Lucy?_ He couldn't help but think as he watched them sink into the shadow and despite the fact that he could no longer see her eyes, he was sure that the strange woman was still watching him.

And after a few more seconds, they were gone, leaving Fairy Tail to stare at the spot Fallen Celestial had been standing a few seconds before. Natsu clenched the hand not holding Happy to his side as he watched the spot where the Lucy look-alike had been standing. _Was that really her...and if it was do I even have the right to face her again?_ But no matter how much he thought about it there was no one who could answer him. _I guess in the end it doesn't matter if I don't deserve to see her again, I have to apologize if it's the last thing I do._

* * *

While most of the people within the coliseum were trying to figure out just who the blonde woman had been and why Fallen Celestial had withdraw there was one figure making a beeline towards the exit. While one couldn't make out their entire face due to the fact that the figure was wearing a white hood and cloak that obscured most of their features the person's mouth was still exposed, and it was twisted into a clearly displeased frown.

"Damn it…every things still following the exact same path…" the person murmured out loud as they made their way out of the arena and into the city proper. "At this rate Lucy will end up making the same choices and Zeref and Acnologia will end up doing the exact same thing as they originally did." They clicked their tongue as they walked through the dying light of the day.

The person stopped then as they felt a magical signature trailing them from a discrete distance. Even with the person's dwindling magical reserves, the person could still identify who exactly was tailing them.

"Jellal huh… I guess my magic signature probably feels similar to Zeref's at this point, and of course he would be looking into it." The person mused out loud as they started to walk forward again. "…actually, this kind of works out in my favor, I can have him deliver a message to Fairy Tail for me in exchange for information." The person decided with a smile as they took a seat on a low standing wall and waited for her tail to catch up with them. "I can't afford to fail here…or the end will really be upon us all."

* * *

The moment the games had ended for the day Fairy Tail had burst into Bar Sun but unlike all the days previous there was no boisterous laughter or the sound of mugs clinking against each other as mages drank away the days events. Instead the guild members had filed in and taken their respective seats, each of them staring down at their hands or at the walls in silent contemplation.

Of course that wasn't counting a pink haired mage and the old man who was holding him in one massive fist.

"Let me go Gramps! I've got to go find Lucy!" Natsu shouted as he struggled to escape from the Titan mage with no real results.

"Calm down Natsu, we have no proof that that was even Lucy. The Lucy I remember wouldn't just glare at her family like that. Did she even have the same scent as what you remember?" Makarov questioned ass he slammed Natsu into one of the buildings support columns, where he was promptly tied up by Erza.

"That's just it Gramps…that chick doesn't smell like anything." Laxus explained from his grandfather's side, his face a grim mask.

"What does that mean?" Bisca questioned from her seat, Asuka held in her hands who was gazing curiously at all the serious faced adults.

"It's like there's just an empty hole where her scent should be." Wendy answered as she tried to fight back her tears, Carla sitting on the table in front of her, a contemplative scowl on her face. "The rest of that team all have unique scents like any normal person but Luc-that woman had none at all, it's the strangest thing."

Gajeel and Laxus nodded in confirmation of Wendy's assessment, both having noticed the woman's lack of scent.

"But why's that such a big deal? Maybe she just uses a lot of odor eating lacrima or something." Droy asked, not sure what the big deal was.

"Because every living creature has a scent and no matter how hard someone tries to hide it and a dragons nose wouldn't be fooled by some shitty lacrima." Gajeel scoffed as he glared at the plant mage.

Everyone was silent as they contemplated what the dragon slayers had reveled. until Gray finally stepped forward, his face void of emotions. "Why do you guys even think that that was Lucy?" he asked the question that was on all their minds. "I mean…I can't be…Lucy's gone and buried. She can't have been standing there! There's simply no way it was our Lucy!" Gray had been too shocked to move the moment the hood had fallen away, but now that he had time to think about it he felt nothing but a cold fury for those who would impersonate a member of his family.

"I have to agree with Gray Master. Wouldn't it be more prudent to think that it was simply a complicated illusion spell they crafted in order to confuse us?" Erza questioned, despite her own nagging doubts about the identity of the woman known as Celestias and her relation to her dear departed friend.

"Hmmm…that is a possibility, but then how did they know exactly how Lucy looked and even the same height as Lucy?" Makarov questioned. He had indeed thought of the fact that it had indeed been nothing but an illusion but the fact that the person had all of Lucy's keys and an almost perfect illusion? There were simply too many coincidences all piling up to simply dismiss it as a complex illusion.

"What does it matter? Either its Lucy and we need to go help her or its not and we just need to destroy them!" Natsu screamed out as he struggled against the ropes.

"Don't be a fool boy! Their guild leader had enough magic to go head to head with me, and each of their team members is just as strong as our S-class mages." Makarov angrily explained as he smacked the dragon slayer on the head. "If we attack them without a plan we will only be inviting disaster upon our family."

The bar was silent for a moment, as each member contemplated exactly how strong their opponents were, when Levy tentatively raised her hand. "Master…? There's something I need to say." Levy waited until all eyes were on her before continuing. "That black haired name introduced himself as Abaddon right? Well that's a name I recognize from something I read long ago." Levy paused for a second to reorganize her thoughts before staring back up at the master. "It was in the memoir of a powerful mage who lived almost two hundred years ago. He spoke of how in his most desperate time of need, he was able to call out to a shadowy demon who promised him more power than the mage could possibly imagine in the name of the demons master. In the end the mage became one of the most powerful mages in Fiore for a time but the demon eventually took everything back, leaving the mage nothing and dooming him to a painful end."

"And before the demon left the mage, it told him the name of its master, the demon who ruled over all of mankind's pride and used it to manipulate and control them…a demon lord named Abaddon."

A murmur swept through the gathered mages as Levy finished her tale, the master staring at her with wide eyes. "And you believe that the Abaddon today is the same being as the one recorded in this mages notes?"

"The mage left records in hopes that someone would eventually avenge what he had lost, and from what he recorded pride demons are capable of manipulating shadows to learn about their target to one day turn what they take pride in against them." Levy explained as she clenched her hands in front of her chest. "If he really was the lord of pride he would be able to find out about Lu…and could easily use her against us." And when she finally finished explaining tears began to leak from her eyes, causing Gajeel to walk up to her and hold her against his chest with a pensive look on his face, allowing the blue haired girl to cry into his arms.

"Master, there is something else that needs to be brought to your attention." Carla said as she flew over from Wendy's table to stand right in front of Makarov. "…the truth is that after the events of the first day I received a vision…a vision that depicted Lucy."

A shocked cry resounded through the guild members, Wendy first and foremost amongst them. "Carla! Why would you keep that from us?"

"Because as we have already discussed, Lucy is dead. There was simply no way that a vision could include her, or at least that was what I had thought at the time." Carla scoffed as she glanced away.

"I see… then what exactly were the contents of this vision, if you don't mind me asking." Makarov asked kindly despite his growing concerns.

Carla glanced nervously at Natsu for a second before staring down at the bar counter. "I saw Natsu, crying and clutching a bleeding Lucy, a humanoid figure clad in darkness stood over them with blood on its sword and Crocus burning to the ground around them."

Everyone stared wide eyed at the white Exceed, no one fully understanding what exactly was going on. Natsu had stopped moving, his mouth open and his eyes wide in shock.

"It appears…that I have much to discuss with the master of Fallen Celestial tonight." Makarov finally said when he found his voice.

"Sixth master," the voice of Mavis sounded off from where she had appeared on the bar, shocking many of the mages out of their thoughts. "I believe I have a way to determine the true identity of this mage if you would like to hear it."

* * *

Lucy casually swished her hand through the water of the fountain she was sitting by. She had sent Abaddon to retrieve the Master and now all she could do was wait and fume over how badly things had gone that day. She had been absolutely furious when Natsu had burned away her hood and had been seconds away from attacking him back, her spirits following a second after, but before she could the cold feeling had washed through her mind calming her and allowing her to reign in her spirits.

They had been lucky that Abaddon had shown up when he did, as Alva and the others had been only a few seconds away from unleashing hell on the unsuspecting Fairy Tail mages. The only thing that Lucy regretted was that she had been revealed far earlier than she originally planned. The initial plan was for Lucy to reveal herself during the battle royal on the final day and to confront Natsu then and there but of course when a plan involved Natsu it was rarely going to go very well.

 _But what exactly do we do now? In the end Abaddon was unable to find the source of the Zeref like magic and if we cannot convince the Master that I am not Lucy then Fairy Tail won't rest until they destroy Fallen Celestial for "kidnapping" me or whatever they decided happened to me… Abaddon did mention that one of his shadows had detected strange magic in Bosco…perhaps it would simply be better for us all if Fallen Celestial simply left this land to search for Zeref._

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted when she felt the magical presence of the lord of pride and a wizard saint approaching. Lucy quickly checked that her new hood had obscured her features before clearing her throat and trying to make herself look as imposing as possible.

However as the two guild masters approached Lucy couldn't help but frown. What exactly was the lord of pride playing at now? _Does he really think that this is a good time to play around?_

"Miss Celestias, I have brought Master Makarov as I promised." Abaddon said with a bow as he stood off to the side. However Lucy simply glared at the white suited demon.

"What exactly is this supposed to be Abaddon? I asked you to just bring Master Makarov, who exactly is this supposed to be?" Lucy questioned as she gestured to the young blonde girl who was standing right behind Makarov.

However, apparently Lucy had made a mistake in mentioning the blonde haired girl. Within a second of Lucy acknowledging the girl's presence both the girl's eyes and the Master's eyes widened considerably and tears began to form in the corners old man's eyes. Lucy was panicking on the inside as she watched to two Fairies begin to cry and could only see confusion on Abaddon's face.

"Milady, I don't know what you're talking about but I would never mistake one man for a blonde girl." Abaddon refuted, despite the fact that Lucy's attention was solely on the crying guild master.

"Lucy…it really is you…you're alive!" Makarov choked out, causing Lucy to jump in surprise. _How? We've barely said more than ten words tonight and he's already is certain of who I am? How's that possible?_ Lucy thought in a panic as the blonde girl walked up and placed a hand over her chest.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Miss Heartfilia, my name is Mavis Vermilion: the founder of Fairy Tail and an astral spirit that only those who bear our guilds insignia can see." The girl named Mavis explained, a faint smile on her lips

Lucy's mouth dropped open as her body tried to gulp in air for her malfunctioning brain. Never in her wildest dreams would she have figured that Fairy Tail's first master would show up, and that it would be through her that Lucy's plans would come crashing down.

It was only Abaddon's booming laughter that brought her out of her reprieve, as apparently Makarov had taken the liberty of explaining what had just transpired. "Oh my, ha ha hah hah…they have gotten us good Milady." he said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Well I'm so glad that you're enjoying yourself Abaddon. After all, it's not like this throws off everything." Lucy growled as she lowered her hood and removed the gloves from her hands revealing the pink tattoo on her right hand that confirmed her identity. "It's good to see you again master, despite the circumstances that surround our reunion." Lucy said with a smile, causing the Titan mage to cry even harder as he grabbed one of her legs in a hug.

"It is good to see you again, my child." The old man blubbered out as he released her leg, his face turning serious once again. "But why have you not returned to your family? Why do you attack us like a dark guild out for blood?" Makarov asked as he shot an accusing glare at Abaddon, who merely smiled in return. "Is it because of this man that you have not returned to us?"

Lucy frowned at that, for some reason not to happy with Abaddon being falsely accused. "This man is Abaddon, the demon lord of Pride, and you would do well to respect him for that Master. He can be awfully rude when his prides been hurt and even for you I cannot guarantee your safety."

Both Mavis and Makarov grimaced when Lucy mentioned that the man before them was a demon. "Lucy, you keep the company of demons now? What happened to you all those years ago on that job? Why turn your back on family?"

Lucy laughed at that, laughing harder than was probably necessary. "Oh that's rich, calling the man who saved my life a demon but while you have within your guild a true demon."

"And what exactly do you mean by that child?" Mavis asked, a frown on her face as she wasn't comfortable with someone in the guild she created being referred to as a demon

Lucy glanced at Mavis for a second before returning her gaze back to the current master of Fairy Tail. "Do you remember what I told you earlier today Master? I wasn't just posing a hypothetical question to you. I truly am curious what you would do if one of your children was a murderer."

"Lucy…I do not know what you mean. Who in Fairy Tail would or could have betrayed you?" Makarov asked with confusion clear in his voice.

Lucy truly contemplated revealing the truth to the Master right then and there, but after a cold sensation swept through her mind she simply decided to chuckle to herself as she jumped back up onto her feet. "It doesn't matter; I know you would simply choose to defend them over me. After all, I was only one of your "children" for half a year."

"Lucy! How could even think that?" Makarov shouted in shock, his face sinking in pain.

Lucy however simply chose to ignore the titan mages question as she once again placed the hood over her face. "Remember this, Masters of Fairy Tail, so long as the scar of your guilds betrayal remains upon my body I will never forgive you or your guild. Fallen Celestial will always remain at odds with the Fairies." Lucy declared solemnly before turning on her heel and leaving the three guild masters standing around the fountain, two with shock and worry on their face while one held only amusement.

"Well then, Master Makarov, I bid you good night. I trust you can find your way back from here." Abaddon asked and before Makarov could even answer the white suited man had stepped in line behind Lucy, leaving the two Fairies with far too many questions and concerns.

"Well that could have gone better." Lucy sighed in defeat as she kicked a few loose rocks from her path.

"If everything in this world went according to plan it would be a very boring world indeed." Abaddon sagely declared from Lucy's side, earring himself a disgruntled murmur from the Blonde.

"You know Abaddon, if you were half as good at searching for magical signatures as you are at making stupid comments we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

Abaddon frowned at that and was about to refute her when the two noticed the sound of someone approaching in full armor, The sound of the plates of steel grinding against each other the only sound in the sleeping city.

"Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, but I was wondering if you would be willing to speak to me Miss Celestias. Or perhaps it is more accurate to refer to you as Lucy Heartfilia now?" A deep male voice asked from the shadowy form of the armored man.

"And who exactly are you?" Lucy asked, her hand already going for her keys.

"Ah forgive me; my name is Arcadios, Chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron in the Royal Kingdom of Fiore. And I was wondering if I could speak to you about a project our kingdom has been undertaking for the past few years that could use your help." The man introduced himself with a bow.

"And what project would this be?" Abaddon asked as his curiosity got the better of him.

A smug smile spread across Arcadios's face as he looked at the demon lord. "The Eclipse project of course, a plan to destroy Zeref once and for all."

 **I know i know, you all probably wanted the confrontation between Lucy and Natsu to be in this chapter but trust me when i say that its coming in the next chapter and that it will be well worth the wait! until next time guys and gals.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Here we go everyone, the chapter i've been itching to write since i started this story and the climax of the GMG arc. enjoy!**

The bar was deathly quiet as the first and six masters walked shakily through the door. Even Natsu, who had to be secured with even more rope and had even been frozen in place after Gray had grown too frustrated with the dragon slayers constant whining, had grown quiet as he watched the two make their way back to the bar.

Makarov slowly made his way to his spot on the bar, his hand grabbing a mug of ale that Mira had placed in front of him. Erza glanced around the room to see every member's eyes on the Master but their mouths remained closed. Everyone wanted to ask the question on everyone's minds but lacking the courage to bring the question forward. And so Erza, shaking her head to clear her mind of her dark thoughts, took a step forward and stared at the Master with a piercing gaze.

"Master…what happened?" Erza asked nervously, causing nearly everyone present to hold their breaths.

However the master said nothing, he simply stared down at his drink with a distant and sad look on his face. And so the first master, seeing that her successor was currently unable to answer, turned to look at the red headed requip mage with a sorrowful look upon her face.

"I-it was Lucy…our Lucy."

Almost instantly Levy gave off a choked crying noise as her legs gave out, leaving her sobbing on the ground as she covered her eyes in a futile attempt to stop the tears. Erza staggered back as if she had been struck her eyes wide and her mouth open as she tried to make sense of what she had just heard. Mira covered her mouth as silent tears began to fall from her eyes, her brother instantly placing a comforting hand around her shoulder. Gray fell powerlessly to his knees, his face blank as the truth dawned on him. Cana cursed under her breath as she slammed her mug down on the bar, running a hand down her face.

But none of their reactions were on the level of Natsu's. The second the truth was revealed his flames burned away the rope and ice, leaving him free to move. However the young dragon slayer only slumped further down on the floor, his face a mixture of pain and sorrow as he clutched at the golden key that lay beneath his scarf. His breath came in short jagged gasps as he struggled to remain conscious. _Lucy…you're alive! I…I'm so glad. Despite everything that's happened._

"No…no it can't be! How…we looked so hard and for so long and all we found was her blood. How could she survive if we couldn't find a single one of her hairs?" Gray questioned as he jumped back up with a look of rage on his face.

"According to her, the demon lord of Pride saved her life. A demon lord named Abaddon." Makarov explained slowly as he eyed each member one at a time.

"Then it's true! That really was a demon lord?" Levy cried out, still lying on the ground.

"It appears so and the magic that seeped from his body would stand to support her claim of his origins." Mavis explained as she recalled the black magic that had surrounded the demon lord and shuddered at the memory of it.

All of Fairy Tail were silent as they thought of the fact that their celestial mage was now in the company of demons.

"Well that's all well and good, but why didn't you bring Lucy back with you Master?" Cana questioned, wishing that she had been drinking before finding out the truth.

It was then that Makarov's face turned to face everyone present, his eyes narrowed and his hands clenched at his sides. "She claimed that one of our own had betrayed her and tried to kill her. And that until she claims vengeance she will never forgive us." He said with barely contained rage.

Once again a series of shocked gasps sounded off from around the bar as everyone realized the implications of what the Master said.

"N-no way! We're family in Fairy Tail! No one would ever do that to her!" Levy shouted along with nearly every other member of Fairy Tail. However neither the Master or Gray failed to notice that rather than shout out with everyone else he instead stared down at the ground with a strange look on his face, however before either could question his strange behavior a man no one was expecting walked through the bar door.

"Mystogan!" Erza shouted using Jellal's the fake name, as the hooded man walked through the door with a contemplative look on his face.

"Erza…there's something I need to tell you about one of your lost members."

"If you're referring to Lucy we found out just now." Erza murmured with a downcast gaze.

Jellal blinked in surprise. "Then you already know about her arrest at the hands of the kingdom?"

Erza's head shot back up. "What? What do you mean?"

"According to my…sources, Lucy Heartfilia has been arrested under suspicion of treason and is currently being held in the dungeons of Mercurius." Jellal continued to explain.

"I see…thank you for brining this information to us "Mystogan", but how did this source come by this information? I myself only just recently left Lucy not thirty minutes ago."

"I apologize master Makarov, however in exchange for information my source had me swear to secrecy." Jellal explained as he looked away in guilt.

The bar was silent for a minute more before Laxus, surprising more than a few of the gathered fairies, was the first to speak. "Alright then Gramps, what do we do now? Storm the palace and free Blondie?"

Makraov stared down for a minute, mulling over the options, before looking back at his grandson. "No, if we raid the palace we will be making enemies of the entirety of Fiore and will only end up making Fairy Tail into a dark guild, not to mention the fact that Lucy herself might fight back."

Mavis nodded her head from the master's side. "That's not all sixth master, with Fallen Celestial's withdraw from the games the tournament was left with an odd number of teams the organizers have ordered us to form a single team remember?"

The Master blinked in surprise before running a hand down his face. "With everything that's been happening I completely forgot about the Games…curses."

Mavis smiled sadly as she stared at the master. "Not to worry sixth master I, the Fairy Tactician, have already accounted for this and in truth this reorganization can work in our favor. While one team fights to win the Games another team will infiltrate the Palace and rescue Lucy Heartfilia."

The Master thought for a second before nodding his head. "A sound strategy First. Now then, who shall we send to the games and who shall go after Lucy?"

* * *

Gray narrowed his eyes as he stared down at Natsu's sleeping form. Natsu had been one of the first to volunteer to sit out of the Grand Magic Games and to be on the Lucy rescue squad, something that had surprised everyone including Gray. They had returned to their teams shared hotel room and had retired for the night but Gray didn't feel like sleeping.

He had been one of the only ones to notice Natsu strange behavior after they found out the truth about Celestias and despite wanting to confront his frenemy about it he never got the chance with all the planning that had been going on.

 _Now that I think about it…Natsu was the last person to see Lucy alive. But theres simply no way…Natsu wouldn't betray her like that, they were partners after all._ Gray tried to convince himself as he stared down at the pink haired idiot.

It was at that moment that Gray noticed something strange. Within the folds of Natsu's vest Gray could just barely make out the crumpled form of a piece of paper. A single corner sticking out of his vest, its faded and crumpled form almost too obvious to not notice. It looked like something Natsu had read over and over again but in all the time Gray had known him he could have never imagined Natsu keeping a letter for sentimental purposes.

Gray only hesitated for a second before reaching down and, slowly and carefully, removed the letter from Natsu's possession. Gray slowly opened it and began reading it and letter after letter his unease began to grow.

By the time he finished it the paper slipped from his now limp grip. Gray stared down at Natsu with a look beyond shock and disbelief. "No…Natsu…you didn't…you couldn't!" but his whispered question went unanswered in the dead of night, leaving him with nothing but questions.

* * *

Lucy wanted to scream she was so frustrated with everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours. Not only had she been revealed to early during the Grand Magic Games and had even been tricked by the Master, but now she was rotting in a prison cell because of her foolish actions.

Lucy had agreed to speak privately with Arcadios after he had confronted her the night before and had sent Abaddon on ahead to begin preparations for their return to the guild hall. When the two of them finally arrived at Mercurius Lucy had been surprised when instead of speaking in one of the castles many rooms they had instead preceded to the basement of the palace. Once there Arcadios had shown her what he referred to as the Eclipse Gate. A massive doorway that was capable of connecting to any point in time and that the kingdom planned to use its power to kill both Zeref and Acnologia before they grew as powerful as they were today.

However they were incapable of opening the gate at that moment, while they had recruited Yukino to use her keys in opening the door but they still required the remaining ten keys in order to get the gate operational. Lucy, having been intrigued by the concept of changing the past, agreed to use her keys to open the gate and had even offered to use her pact powers in place of the still missing twelfth key.

However, mere seconds after unlocking the door a large amount of soldiers rushed up to the three of them and placed Lucy and Yukino under arrest. Lucy of course had been more than strong enough to fight off her attackers and simply stroll out the front doors but it was far too early to cut off relations with the royal family. So rather than resist she simply allowed herself to be dragged off behind bars.

"Well this sucks." Lucy huffed as she placed her hands on her hips. She was certain that Abaddon and Alva had noticed her absence by now and no doubt the lord of pride was already making his way to her, although it would be at his own leisurely pace.

"I apologize, Miss Celestias, I did not anticipate that by coming here I would cause you such inconvenience." Yukino apologized, looking downright miserable.

"You have nothing to apologize for, it's not like you were the one who had us arrested. And just call me Lucy, it's my real name after all and I'm getting tired of people calling me Celestias." Lucy waved off her concerns as she paced around the cell.

Yukino stared at her in surprise but didn't comment on the false name. She placed he head on her knees as she continued to ruminate on what had happened. "…Miss Lucy? What do you think about the Eclipse project? Do you think it should be activated?"

Lucy stared back at the white haired woman for a second before returning her gaze to the iron bars. "…If it were up to me I wouldn't hesitate for a second to open the portal."

"Eh? Really? I would have thought that you would be against it."

"Not at all, so many things in my life would be different if Zeref and Acnologia didn't exist. Maybe I would have actually had a happy life and would have never encountered the man who betrayed me." Lucy mused out loud, her tone becoming more sorrowful as she continued to speak.

The two girls remained silent for a moment when a coughing echoed throughout the dungeon. The two girls whipped their heads up to see Abaddon, his usual smile on his face, staring down at the two of them.

"I apologize for interrupting your thoughts, Milady, but I have come to retrieve you and I advise we leave with the upmost haste. You're former guild mates are on their way to retrieve you." Abaddon explained as he reached out and, with a single hand, ripped the door from its hinges.

"Of course they are…why wouldn't they." Lucy sighed exasperatedly as she stepped out of the door, Yukino following immediately after.

"Ummm…Miss Lucy? What about me?" Yukino asked tentatively.

Lucy smiled back at her fellow Celestial mage. "I would suggest that you just stay here. Fairy Tail can get you out of here easily but I can't afford to meet with them." and the moment Lucy finished talking Abaddon snapped his fingers, causing the two of them to begin sinking into their shadows. "…Until next time Yukino, keep safe." And with that the two vanished into the ground, Leaving Yukino to stare at the spot they had been standing as the sound of people running down stairs echoed through the dungeon.

* * *

Natsu grumbled under his breath as he led the way through the emerald caverns that had been hidden underneath the palaces dungeon. The moment the final day of the Grand Magic Games began Natsu, Mira, Wendy, and the three exceeds had infiltrated the palace in order to retrieve their wayward Celestial mage. Natsu had been worried about the fact that Lucy would probably try to murder him the moment they saw each other but he had to try to make up for his mistakes, despite the fact that he had no business doing so. Natsu had been curious about the fact that Gray had been giving him strange looks all morning but in the end he didn't speak to Natsu about what had been bothering him and now he was likely to be fighting for the sake of Fairy Tail's ultimate victory.

When they had finally arrived in the dungeons however they only found Sabertooths Celestial mage, who promptly informed them that Lucy had already been spirited away by a white suited man before all of them were dropped into a second basement beneath the dungeons.

And now, after fighting off the kingdoms assassin group, their group was trying to make their way back out to the city. No one was speaking, each lost in their own thoughts about the fact that once again they had failed Lucy, when they came upon a massive door.

"Don't worry guys, I got this!" Natsu shouted out as he encased his fist in fire and prepared to obliterate the door. However before he could get within five feet of it the door began to creak open from the other side. Natsu, shocked by the door moving before he could get to it, stumbled and tripped over his own feet and tumbled forward until he was lying right before the door. Looking up and rubbing his now sore head, Natsu was greeted by the sight of a person wearing a pure white cloak standing right before him and staring down at him. "…who the hell are you?" Natsu growled out, trying to appear as intimidating as possible despite his compromising position.

For a second no one said anything as the figure simply stared at them. Natsu was about to threaten them again but before he could he smelled something he had been dying to smell for the longest time. The smell of strawberries and, for some reason, the scent of tears.

"…Natsu…it's really you." Came a nearly crying voice from under the hood and before Natsu could say a single syllable the person launched themselves at him, embracing him in such a tight hug that even he began to feel uncomfortable.

The others were about to run to his aid but Natsu waved them off and with a shaky hand, lifted the hood from the figures head to reveal a blond head of hair and brown eyes that were in the midst of crying.

"Lucy!? But how Y-yukino said you left?" Natsu managed to choke out as Lucy untangled her arms from his back and stood back up, smiling at him.

"I'm so glad I managed to find you guys, you have no idea how long I've waited for this day." Lucy happily declared as she wiped the tears from her eyes, only for them to be released by even more.

"Lucy!" Happy shouted as he launched himself into the blondes chest, who giggled and patted the crying exceed on the head.

"Hello Happy, it's good to see you again." She greeted as she looked up at the many shocked faces. "Wendy, Mira, I'm so happy that you two are alright. And you too as well Carla and Pantherlilly." And the moment Lucy finished her greetings both Wendy and Mira launched themselves at the blondie, tackling her into a hug, while Carla and PantherLilly simply smiled as they watched.

"M-miss Lucy? Why have you returned to the dungeons? Didn't you decide that you were not willing to meet with Fairy Tail?" Yukino questioned as the rest of their group extracted themselves from the Celestial mage.

"Ah, is that what the current me told you? I suppose that would make sense." Lucy mused out loud as she placed a hand on her chin, her face turning serious despite the fact that Happy was still attached to her chest.

"The current you? What do you mean by that Lucy?" Mira questioned with a worried look on her face.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention that." Lucy said with a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry to tell you this but I'm not the Lucy you guys know and lost. I'm a Lucy from far in the future."

No one said anything as they tried to process what Lucy, or rather future Lucy, had just told them. And surprisingly it was Natsu who was the first to recover.

"You're telling me you're from the future? Then where is the Lucy from now?"

"More than likely on a hill overlooking Crocus from what I remember." Future Lucy said with a shrug. "But that's the least of our concerns right now. I need to tell you guys of the future that awaits you, and the horrors that will soon be unleashed."

Everyone gulped as Future Lucy reached out a hand to Natsu, who was still lying on the ground and after helping him up started to walk back through the doors she had just opened. Natsu looked back to the others, seeing that they were just as confused as he felt, before following after Future Lucy.

"Um…what do you mean by future horrors Lucy? Looking at your face you couldn't have come from more than a few years in the future." Wendy questioned as they continued to make their way through the basement of the palace.

Future Lucy giggled at that. "Ya well, I've always tried to take good care of myself over the years. But despite what you might think I've come here from more than sixty years in the future." Future Lucy admitted, smiling at the blank stares that were sent her way. "As far as how I look the same you'll just have to ask you're Lucy about it later but let's just say I've been frozen in time."

Natsu wasn't sure what Lucy was referring to, but he was certain that it had something to do with his betrayal. "Luce…I'm… I'm so sor-." He tried to apologize but Future Lucy placed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him.

"Save you're apologies for your Lucy Natsu, I've had a lot of time to come to terms with what happened, far too much time." Future Lucy sadly declared before her face once again turned serious. "But we didn't come here to discus me, we need to stop the current Lucy from leaving, or Fairy Tail will be destroyed."

"Wait! Lucys leaving! Why would she do that?" Happy questioned from his spot on Future Lucy's head.

Future Lucy glanced at Natsu for a second before continuing. "It's to escape from a painful past. Tonight the kingdom will open the Eclipse gate and from within a horde of dragons will pour through." Lucy explained but waved her hand at the shocked faces of the others. "But that's not what I've come to save you from, the current me and the rest of Fallen Celestial are more than a match for a few rouge dragons. The real issue begins a few years from now."

"After tonight Lucy will take the rest of Fallen Celestial and go to Bosco in order to track a specific magic. After I was there for a few years I received word that a magical pulse bomb had gone off in Fiore, ending the lives of nearly every mage on the continent." Future Lucy's face grew even more sorrowful as she recalled the painful memories. "And only a few days afterwards we received word that the black wizard Zeref, the black dragon Acnologia, and a demon known only as E.N.D were fighting in the ruins that had once been Fiore. I hurried back, desiring nothing more than to fight against the three monsters but when I arrived I found only death and ashes."

"For the next twenty years I tracked the three overwhelmingly powerful beings across the world but I was always a step behind, only able to bury the remains of those who were unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire. And when I finally tracked down the black wizard most of the world was left a smoldering husk."

Lucy paused then as she stared off into space, lost in her own thoughts "despite my overwhelming power and the might of two demon lords behind me I was unable to defeat Zeref, and in order to protect me the one I had sworn to live alongside died in order to give the chance to escape. I spent the next few years of my life trying to figure out the secrets of the Eclipse gate and after spending nearly all of my magic I managed to arrive at the present day."

Everyone was silent as they tried to process what Future Lucy had just told them. "But then…what happened to us Lucy? What happened to your Fairy Tail?" Mira questioned.

Future Lucy stopped, her eyes downcast and her lips a thin line. "…from what I was able to gather most died in the initial detonation of the magic pulse bomb. And even those who managed to survive were quickly slain by the demon known as E.N.D." she explained in a strained voice. "By the time I arrived the only sign of Fairy Tail was a tattered flag."

Mira and Wendy gasped in shock while Natsu clenched his teeth. As hard as it was to think about Fairy Tail falling Natsu couldn't bring himself to doubt Future Lucy's words, her face was simply filled with too much sorrow in her voice to be lying about it.

"So all we need to do is convince the current you to stay in Fiore? Shouldn't be too hard." Natsu said with his usual grin adorning his face.

"Just what I would expect from you Natsu, but we have to wait here for the moment." Future Lucy said with a smile on her face.

"What why? Wasn't time of the essence?" Lilly asked as he warily watched their surroundings.

"Because the heavens are about to fall out there and that's not something want to be present for."

* * *

Lucy ran a hand through her hair as she watched yet another dragon emerged from the open Eclipse gate. By the time that Lucy had managed to meet up with Alva and the others and began to leave the city night had fallen and Fairy Tail had claimed ultimate victory in the games, something that annoyed Lucy to no end. But what was truly trying her patience was that within an hour of the games ending the military had opened the Eclipse Gate and one by one dragons began to stream through.

"Abaddon, care to explain what exactly is going on here?" Lucy questioned in an annoyed tone.

"From what I can tell it appears that due to the eclipse the magics of the gate have been affected, causing it to connect to four hundred years in the past. A time when Dragons and humans fought for control of this world." Abaddon explained as he watched a dragon comprised of metal emerge from the gate. "At the rate they're pouring through I doubt that the various guilds will be able to handle them."

"That's not our concern, we're leaving this country anyway so what happens to Fiore has no bearing on us." Lucy coldly declared as the dragons began to take to the sky, their roars shaking the very earth under their feet.

"I would advise against that Milady. If we leave now we will be losing quite a few favorable contacts within this country." Abaddon explained with a shrug. "And besides, I doubt our contacts in Bosco would be impressed to hear of us running away from a fight."

Lucy clicked her tongue in annoyance as she weighed her options. But in the end it was when Alva placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and brought Lucy's attention back to reality that she finally made her decision.

"Luce…let's fight!" she declared with a face that clearly showed how unwilling she was to back down.

Lucy smiled as she placed a comforting hand on the half dragons head. "Alright then Alva, I guess a little workout before we leave won't be too much of an issue." And in the next moment Lucy's face turned serious, her gaze landing on the rest of her team. "Lilith, Fredrick, and Roland, I want you three to engage the dragons at you're discretion. You too Alva, but try not to reveal your origins if you can avoid it."

The four who received their orders nodded before Alva tilted her head in confusion. "What will you be doing Luce?" she questioned as she cracked her knuckles in preparation.

"I'll be using one of the three great celestial spells to thin the herd. Wait till I'm done before you engage the remaining ones alright?" Lucy ordered and after receiving their confirmation, fell to her knees and clasped her hands before her almost as if in prayer.

For a few seconds nothing happened, but in the next second a brilliant golden magical array appeared underneath Lucy. Every member of Fallen Celestial narrowed their eyes as Lucy's magic began to pour into the magic circle. The spell Lucy was preparing required immense magical energy and concentration and Lucy couldn't afford to be distracted during its preparation. When the magic was finally prepared Lucy opened her mouth and began to chant, each word weaved with magical power.

"All the stars tremble…

For the end of life is nigh…

I, the solemn judge…

Who bears the contract of the universe…

Pass judgment upon those who defy the stars…

And now, let man be judged…

…by the **Heavens Fall**!"

The moment Lucy finished her chant the stars began to shine with an ever increasingly bright light. Slowly but surely each star in the heavens glow increased till it looked as if each was about to burst.

And when the sky was filled with light beyond what should be possible, the stars released their judgment. From each star a beam of intense golden light rained down upon the ground, destroying everything that they came in contact with. The dragons that were in the sky cried out in pain as their bodies were pierced by the immeasurable light, the holes in their wings bursting into flame from the sheer intensity of the assault. Those who remained upon the ground fared no better, the beams pinning them to the ground as the light turned the earth beneath them into glass. Even the tiny dragon like creatures one of the flying dragons had released were not spared each simply disappearing into the light as the beams consumed their forms.

And then, just as fast as it had started, it was over. The beams vanished from the world, leaving nothing but burning buildings and ash in their wake. However, a few of the dragons still remained, either because their scales had been simply too strong to be pierced by the light or through sheer luck.

Lucy gasped for breath as a large amount of magic leaked out of her body. It had been the first time she had used one of the two celestial spells she had learned in her travels and the amount of magic she had lost had been beyond her expectations.

The others jumped into action, only Alva sparing Lucy a backwards glance, as they maneuvered to destroy the remaining dragons. Abaddon watched them leave for a second before returning her attention to Lucy. "And what shall you have me do Milady? Challenge these foolish reptiles to fisticuffs?"

"No Abaddon, I want you to go to close the gate and prevent anymore dragons from coming through." Lucy ordered in between her breaths. "I'll handle the remaining dragons."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that Milady? You're Magic reserves are quite low at this point."

Lucy smiled mischievously up at the Lord of Pride as she rose back to her feet. "I will perform a union spell with Ira and fight them off myself."

Abaddon's face instantly contorted into a frown. "I would not advise that Milady, you have no idea if you can even control that power or even if you will remain in control."

It doesn't matter; I can't just sit here and let others fight my battles." Lucy declared as she drew a small dagger from her side and stared at her reflection in the length of the blade.

Abaddon was silent for a moment before sighing and placing his hand on his head. "Very well Milady, just…try not to lose yourself in his rage." The demon lord advised before jumping into the distance, leaving Lucy alone on the ridge.

Lucy stared at the blade for a moment more before sighing heavily. _Well, no use worrying about something I've never done before._ Lucy thought before holding the dagger right before her open palm.

"Demon lord of Wrath; hear my call and obey the pact we forged. Come forth and dwell within my form!" she shouted as she sliced the blade across her palm, leaving a bloody line in its wake. Lucy hissed in pain but before the blood could even drip from her wound the world around her seemed to lose all color, flames of a green color began to whip around her form, causing her eyes to widen and her breath to catch in her throat.

But before Lucy could even question what was happening a form appeared in front of her, a form she never would have thought she would have seen again.

Ira stood before her, his six arms flexing in anticipation and a cruel grin upon his face.

"Oh? Little Lucy wants to control my power? HA! Very well then, let us show your enemies what happens when they earn you're wrath!" Ira voice boomed out as he reached down to Lucy's injured hand.

Lucy stared down in shock as rather than physically touching her hand, Ira's massive hand was sucked into her body from her open wound and the rest of his overwhelming form following a few seconds later.

Lucy clenched her hands to her chest as greenish flames began to consume her form, and the last thing Lucy could hear before she blacked out was an almost insane laughter echoing from her mouth.

* * *

Natsu stared in shock at a dragon that flew lazily through the sky. It had been almost eight since he had seen any dragon and in the middle of a burring city wasn't exactly the kind of reunion he was looking for.

When Future Lucy had told them to wait Natsu hadn't exactly been pleased with her decision but when beams of light descended from the sky Natsu had been forced to swallow his complaints. When they did emerge from the palace Natsu had been shocked to see massive black skin giants lumbering through the city. Future Lucy had seemed surprised to see the massive creatures and told them that they were demons of wrath, but that the numbers that they were appearing in shouldn't be demons paid no attention to the mages who ran throughout the city, instead focusing solely on fighting against the dragons

It was then that a strange looking Rouge, screaming something or another about how Future Lucy was the one who foiled his plans, appeared out of nowhere and attacked. And before Natsu could stop her Future Lucy rushed forward and rammed into Rouge, the two of them flying through the air and vanishing into the smoke. Natsu ran off in pursuit of the two, despite the others crying out for him to stop.

Natsu had managed to track them for a few blocks but with with so many strange scents in the air he had been unable to track her strawberry scent specifically and was left to wander the streets by himself.

"Oy! Luce! Where are you?" Natsu shouted as he leapt to the top of a burning building, taking a little snack for himself to recover some of his lost magic.

Suddenly, the air shook with a roar of pain. Natsu whipped his head up in time to see a dragon falling from the sky, its two front arms spinning off to the side after having been cut away. The dragon landed only on a building right next to him, crushing it beneath its weight. Natsu stared on in shock as a figure landed lightly on top of it. And after a few seconds of watching Natsu could finally make out who it was, and who it was shocked him.

The figure stood upon the fallen form of the dragon, their body encased in pitch black armor that was adorned with spikes that almost reminded Natsu of Erza's purgatory armor but was somehow even more intimidating. The person's blonde hair whipped behind them and seemed to glow from within with a green flame. But by far the most terrifiying thing about the person where their arms, in their hands were two massive black swords, nothing spitaclular but that wasn't the terrifying part. From the persons back four bone white arms stretched and grasped at whatever was close, giving the person an almost arachnid appearance.

And that person was Lucy Heartfilia.

"L-luce? …what happened to you?" Natsu murmured to himself, so quietly that not even a dragon slayer could have heard him. But to Natsu's shock Lucy's head shot up to stare at Natsu, her eyes wide and filled with rage.

"Natsu…NATSU!" Lucy screamed, her voice somehow interlaced with a much deeper voice. And before Natsu could even blink she was charging at him, her blades gleaming in the firelight.

Natsu jumped backwards as Lucy struck the building he had been standing on, causing the entire structure to collapse.

"This…everything…it's all because of you!" Lucy screamed as she swiped her blade through the air, causing an arc of green flames to chase after Natsu. "I will make you suffer for what you've done to me!"

Natsu, still in midair, was struck by the green flames and sent spinning back into the ground. Wincing as he extracted himself from the crater that had formed at his impact, but before he could get to even his knees Lucy was already on top of him, her blade sweeping right for his neck.

"Stop it Lucy! You don't want to do this!" Natsu heard Future Lucy shout from somewhere off to his side and Lucy was struck by a ball of light, causing her to fly backwards with an angry snarl on her face.

Natsu got back up and looked at Future Lucy to find that her form had changed since the last time he had seen her as well. Future Lucy was now wearing a pure white dress and her hair seemed to be shining with a brightly light from within. From her back two pure white wings extended from her shoulder blades, giving her an almost angelic appearance.

"Whoa Luce…what happened to you?"

"I used the union spell with the spirit of redemption, granting me her power over light." Future Lucy answered, her eyes never leaving Lucy's twisted form. "But how did this happen…I never fused with Ira back in my time, but at least that explains why the wrath demons are here…why did she…" she continued to murmur to herself.

"What's Ira? What happened to Luce?" Natsu questioned as he moved to stand alongside Future Lucy.

"It's one of our most powerful spells. Using the power of our pacts we're able to combine our form with that of one of the Lords of Sin. It grants us immense powers for a time but during the spell our minds are fused with the Lord we summoned." Future Lucy then grabbed Natsu around the waist and leapt into the air, the place they had been standing in now was occupied by a roaring Lucy. "But of all the lords to fuse with…she chose the lord of Wrath."

"So Luce's been consumed by her anger?" Natsu questioned as they landed on a nearby building.

"Exactly; normally it wouldn't be much of a problem, as Ira would rather just fight against powerful foes, but I guess when they saw you Lucy's pain at you're betrayal caused her to lose control over his power."

Natsu's eyes widened as he stared at Lucy's quickly approaching form, her six arms held out and her face contorted in fury. "You mean… I caused this?"

Future Lucy quickly smacked Natsu on the back of the head as she glared down at him. "This is no time to get depressed Natsu, we don't have time to worry about what you've done." She chastised as she released a blinding flash of light, causing Lucy to cry out in pain as she shielded her eyes. "If you want to make up what you've done to us you've got to fight against her. If we can get those arms from her back and weaken the union of their minds I can try to force Ira out of her." she said as she waved her hand over Natsu, causing his wounds to heal. "You ready for this Natsu? I'll keep her distracted while you go for the arms." she said with a smile as she drew her whip.

Natsu returned the smile, one of his few non fake one in a long time. "You bet, I'm fired up!"

Future Lucy returned his smile for a second before looking forward and lunging forward, her whip cracking with energy.

"You…you feel familiar…why do stand in the way of my vengeance?" Lucy/Ira questioned as they raised their six arms and charged at Future Lucy.

"Because we can hear the truth in your heart, even if you have shut your eyes and cover your ears to what you truly want." Future Lucy said, her voice mixed with another woman's voice.

Natsu waited for Lucy and Future Lucy to get into a melee before making his move. Leaping into the air with his feet encased in flames, Natsu lept at Lucy's back. However before he could even land a single blow one of the bone arms lashed out and grabbed him by the leg.

"You will not land a blow on me betrayer!" Ira/Lucy said as the arm flung Natsu through the air.

"God damn it why do people keep throwing me!" Natsu couldn't help but shout as he was sent cart wheeling through the air.

"Well even if he can't land a blow, I'm not going to have the same bad luck with Lucina in my body." Future Lucy said with a smirk as she lashed out with her whip slicing one of the bone arms off.

"I knew I recognized this power! You will not stop our vengeance redemption." Lucy screamed out as her blades flashed through the air.

By the time Natsu made it back to the fight the two Lucy's were locked in a melee of such speed that he could only see their afterimages and the sound of their blows shacking the air.

Natsu, not willing to sit out the fight and let Lucy slip through his grasp yet again. Inhaling deeply, Natsu released a breath attack the moment Future Lucy was out of the line of fire. The fire ball detonated the second it reached Lucy, engulfing her in a raging inferno.

"What's wrong Natsu? After stabbing me in the back already you don't want to fight me seriously?" Lucy taunted from inside the flames.

Natsu winced and stepped back, a look of shock on his face. It was true, not only did he not want to fight Lucy but she was right. He was probably the least qualified person to try to save Lucy.

"Don't listen to her Natsu; it's just her rage speaking right now." Future Lucy said as she landed graceful next to Natsu.

"But that's what she really thinks right? If it's just her rage speaking then it's just the things she would have normally kept hidden." Natsu quietly murmured.

"…look, I'm not going to lie; you've got a long road ahead of you to get her to trust you again. After all, I've had years to come to terms with what you did to me and forgive you slightly. But all of that can wait until she's not trying to kill us right?" Future Lucy said with an annoyed look as she waved a hand at Natsu, causing white light to suffuse his surroundings and his wounds to recover slightly. "Now come on Natsu, no more moping."

The three continued to battle all across the city and each had received wounds of varying degrees. Natsu had received numerous gashes all across his body and one particular bad one right over his eye that blocked his view constantly.

But his wounds were superficial compared to what the two Lucy's had suffered. Every time Future Lucy and Natsu managed to remove one of the boney arms from Lucy's back she would scream out in pain and blood to sputter from her back. And Future Lucy had the worst wounds of them all, she was bleeding from nearly every limb and in exchange for removing one of Lucy's bone arms Future Lucy had one of her wings ripped from her back with a wet meaty sound that Natsu was certain he would never forget.

But at long last the end was in sight. Only one arm remained on Lucy's back and the places where the arms had been was beginning to emit black smoke.

"Natsu I need you to distract her one more time while I move around her back, one last time." Future Lucy breathed out as she placed her hands on her knees, trying desperately to catch her breath.

Natsu didn't say anything; he simply nodded his head as he stared at Lucy. Despite the desperation in their fight, Natsu couldn't help but be proud for his former partner. Not only had she been keeping up with Natsu's attacks but she had even managed to land enough blows on him where even his dragon senses were wary of her. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her standing imposingly before him, her breath coming in rapid gasps and her eyes still watching him warily.

For a second no one moved, they simply eyed each other waiting for someone to make the first move. But when an explosion sounded off in the distance Natsu leapt into action, rushing forward with both flames and lighting surrounding his fists.

Natsu could see Lucy's eyes widen in shock at the two elements mixing together but her reaction didn't slow at all. Both of her blades whipped out, both aiming to remove Natsu's head from his shoulders. Natsu however was a second faster, ducking his head underneath the blows and bringing his fist back in preparation for the strike.

However before he could deliver a blow to Lucy's midsection his mind froze. _I-it's the same…the same as the first time I hurt her. Am I about to do the same thing again?_ Natsu couldn't help but think and his concentration was broken, instantly dissolving his flames and leaving him wide open.

Lucy noticed Natsu's loss of power and was quick to exploit. Natsu could see the blade flying at his face but it was far too late to avoid the blow. _Huh…I guess it's fitting that Lucy kill me now._ Natsu couldn't help but think as he closed his eyes and waited for his end.

"NATSU!" he could hear someone scream and before he could open his eyes to see what had happened, he was shoved off to the side and felt a warm fluid spray across his face.

Slowly opening his eyes, Natsu couldn't help but cry out at the sight before him. Future Lucy was on her knees before him, her eyes wide in pain and surprise, with a sword right through her stomach and with blood now staining her white dress. Lucy stood over her, a cold look on her face and the hilt of her sword plunging straight through her future self's back.

 **next time the final chapter of the GMG arc and Natsu and Lucy will finally speak to each other, face to face.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Really nervous about putting this chapter out, as i feel that emotional chapters are some of my weakest writing. but oh well...the final chapter of the grand magic games arc begins now!**

Lucy struggled to remove herself from the haze that had overcome her mind. From the second she merged with Ira her mind had been overcome by a red haze that felt almost comforting. She could tell that her body was moving and that she was fighting against things but she didn't know much else besides that. She occasionally got a glimpse at what she was looking at, a creature covered in scales roaring at her, a flash of pink and the orange glow of flames, a bright white light and white feathers, but whatever she was doing almost felt like a dream and her limbs seemed to be moving of their own.

But then it was over, pain ran down her back and the red haze lifted from her mind. Lucy blinked as she stared around at the burring city that surrounded her that was slowly coming into view. She could feel a sharp pain from her back and her whole body felt incredibly sore, like she had just finished running a marathon.

And then Lucy looked down, to see a black sword in her armored hand, and a blade that was currently thrust into a blonde woman in a white dress that was slowly being stained red.

Lucy screamed out in shock and surprise as she withdrew the blade from the woman's back, causing the person to scream out in pain and to begin to collapse forward. Lucy reached out to hold her up but another pair of arms reached her first, a pair of arms connected to a body that had haunted dreams for the last seven years.

"Luce…come on Luce keep your eyes open!" Natsu cried out, pain and shock evident in his voice as blood began to soak through his fingers.

 _What...did he just call her Lucy?_ Lucy thought in shock as Natsu turned the girl face up to reveal a face that caused a gasp to escape Lucy's mouth as she placed a hand over her lips.

In Natsu's hands was a person who looked exactly like she did, a smile on her face despite the fact that blood was leaking from her lips.

 _What…what's going on? Why is there another me? Is it some kind of illusion?_ Lucy thought in a panic as she stared at the two with a blank expression on her face. And despite thinking it could possibly be an illusion she knew deep down that it just wasn't possible, the details were simply too clear for it to be a simple illusion and Lucy knew no one besides Lilith who could create complex illusions like this.

The other Lucy continued to smile up at Natsu despite the fact that the blood stains on her dress were only deepening in color. "Natsu…I'm so glad you're not hurt…I managed to save you this time…thank god." She managed to say between coughs.

"Come on, don't talk like that Luce…y-you'll be fine I promise." Natsu managed to stammer out as the hands that held the other Lucy began to shake.

"Its fine Natsu…we both know how this is going to end…but I'm glad that I got to see you one last time." The other Lucy said as she placed a shaking hand on his face to wipe away the tears that were traveling down Natsu's cheeks.

It was then that the other Lucy turned to look at her, tears in her own eyes as well. "L-Luce…please listen to me…before it's too late."

Lucy bent down and placed a hand over her doubles own, the armor that covered her hand cracking away as she did so. She couldn't understand exactly what was happening but she knew that the person before her didn't have much time, after all she had suffered a blow much the same as she did long ago.

"I know…I know what I'm about to say isn't exactly what you want to hear b-but I need to say it anyway." She said as her hand began to grow cold. "…you…you can't keep going down the path you're on it will only lead you and the others to their deaths and leave you in misery."

Lucy was about to say something but her doppelganger shook their head. "P-please, just listen to me before it's too late." And so Lucy swallowed her complaints, tears forming in her own eyes as well. "Trust me…one day you will wake up, having lost everything important to you. Even Alva will one day be sacrificed for your ambitions."

It was then that the Lucy on the ground reached out to grab Lucy's shoulders, a despite look on her face. "Please Lucy! Forgive Natsu for what he did! Go hom-home, go back to Fairy Tail…d-don't go down the same path I did…p-please…let…it…go…" and with a final gasp of breath, the light left her eyes and her hands on Lucy's shoulders went limp and fell lifelessly to the ground. Death was not a pure or pretty as Lucy had read in her stories. The Lucy before her didn't close her eyes with a peaceful smile on her face. No, she simply left this world so fast that she hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.

"Luce…Luce, come on! Stop messing around…hey!" Natsu stammered out as he gently shook the body in his hands, despite the fact that Lucy could tell just from looking that she was gone. "…n-no…not again...I can't lose you again please! Come back Luce…LLLUUUCCCEEEE!"

Lucy jumped up and stumbled backwards as she watched Natsu begin to cry out pain. She looked down at her hands to see her armored gloves covered in blood, the same blood that should be flowing throughout her own body. _No...No I didn't mean to! I wasn't in control of my actions!_

 _No…I'm not the same as Natsu, I'm not a murder!_

And it was then that Lucy screamed out in horror at the realization of what she had done, her hands grabbing at her face and her eyes going wide as she stared at nothing in particular. She could feel the cold feeling trying to wash through her mind but it quickly became overpowered in the raw pain that coursed through her body. The chilly feeling swirled together with the fiery pain and in that second an overwhelming sound of glass shattering echoed through her mind, almost like someone was shattering all the stain glass windows in a church all at once.

It was then that her back arched backwards as if someone had jolted her with an electrical charge. The armor that covered her body shattered and exploded outward in a rush of magic. Lucy could feel darkness claw at the corners of her vision as her legs gave out from underneath her, she felt a pair of small but strong hands grab her body in support and could hear the whispers of someone talking but she couldn't bring herself to listen. And with one last pained whimper, Lucy succumbed to the comforting darkness.

* * *

Abaddon frowned as his magic finally took control over the Eclipse gate, not something that he should be frowning about but that wasn't the real reason for his plummeting mood. He had evacuated the surrounding area of witnesses and had been injecting his own magic into the gate for awhile now and it had finally begun to bear fruit. However, A few moments ago he had felt his mistress's agony echoing throughout their link and even felt his spell upon her mind shatter, unleashing all of her pent up emotions and freeing her from what little control he had over her thoughts.

 _Well now this is interesting…only deep emotional turmoil could have broken that spell. Was it that other Lucy I felt around the city who did this?_ Abaddon pondered as the white light shinning from within the gate turned completely black, brining his attention back to his actions.

For a few seconds nothing happened, but after a few particularly tense moments figures began to emerge from within the inky darkness the figures appeared to be a human born right out of a nightmare. Their bodies were twisted horribly almost as if their limbs were placed in a vice and shadows crawled across their skin almost like living tattoos.

The lead creature kneeled down and lowered its head in reverence. "It has been quite some time, Milord. We have answered your summons and await you're command." It declared in a humble tone.

Abaddon smiled down at the creature. "Ah Lucifer, so nice to finally see you again. We shall have plenty of time to chat but for now I need you and the others to retreat as far away from this city as possible. I shall summon you when the time is right."

The creatures bowed their head in unison and merged into their shadows and vanished into the night. Abaddon simply stared at the spot they had been standing in with a contemplative look on his face. Soon he would finally obtain what he desired in exchange for his pact, it was simply a shame that his mistress would have to suffer before he obtained what he wanted.

* * *

Natsu moved nervously through the crowd of the party as he searched for any hint blonde hair. It had been three days since the battle of Crocus and the party to celebrate both Fairy Tail's victory in the Grand Magic Games as well as their victory over the dragons was taking place. And while Natsu had been happy to hear of their victory the cost was far too great for him to be partying like the rest of Fairy Tail.

Every time Natsu closed his eyes he could see Future Lucy dying before him and his Lucy screaming out in pain and he could feel a cold pit in his stomach and felt something he had almost never felt before.

Natsu was afraid.

Seeing his partner die again once again because of his mistakes made him feel like his heart had been ripped from his chest. When he watched Lucy's face when she had realized exactly what had happened he almost couldn't breathe when he saw her pain. He had wanted to reach out and hold her, to reassure her and try to erase her pain but before he could the redhead who had been accompanied Lucy appeared suddenly and held her up as she lost consciousness.

The redhead locked eyes with Natsu for a second before staring down at Future Lucy's body with wide eyes before looking back at Natsu. "I know what you want to say Dragneel but now's not the time. We both have things to deal with first." And before Natsu could argue she vanished with Lucy still held in her hands. Natsu couldn't help but clench his teeth in anger. Once again Lucy had been right before him and once again she had slipped through his hands, leaving Natsu to care for Future Lucy's remains.

Natsu gently cradled the blonde's broken form as tears leaked from his eyes and sobs escaped from his lips. Natsu had immediately left for the city outskirts by himself, deciding that the place where Future Lucy would rest would be his cross to bear. He didn't even seek out Happy to carry them away, this was something that was his responsibility after all.

Natsu had found an isolated hill that overlooked the city, a place where she could truly move on in peace. After gathering up enough wood to lay her body down upon its final bed, Natsu stared up into the night sky with a clenched jaw and a whirlwind of emotions running through his mind.

Everything had been happening so fast and almost all of it had been out of his hands, something Natsu couldn't help but be furious at everything and anything, including himself. Natsu had never been comfortable with someone else taking charge of a situation, he knew that his family was plenty capable of handling themselves but he had simply lost too many people in his life when they got too far away from him.

"…I'm so sorry Luce; once again I've failed to keep you safe." Natsu cried out as he fell to his knees. "Why…why do I have to keep being forced to let the people close to me disappear from my life!" but like the last time he had lost Lucy there was no answer but the sound of his sobs.

Eventually Natsu's cries subsided and he stood before Future Lucy's now pale form, his fire already surrounding his limbs. With a shaking hand, Natsu moved his palm along the dead branches, the kindling catching fire almost instantly and engulfing the body of his partner in a massive bonfire.

Natsu shuddered at the memory of Future Lucy's body but Natsu had forced himself to remain, and so he did until the flames blew themselves out leaving nothing but ash to float away in the nighttime wind, joining the ashes of the buildings that had fallen in the fighting.

"Hey Natsu!" Someone shouted, bringing Natsu out of his gloomy thoughts. Natsu turned around to see Sting walking up to him, a wide grin on his face followed closely by Rouge. "What the heck were you fighting against that night man? I kept seeing you flying though the sky followed by the sound of an explosion. It was hilarious to watch man!"

Natsu growled under his breath, not really wanting to be reminded of his fight with Lucy even he hadn't been sent flying throughout the entirely of the fight.

"No one important," waved off the question before grinning slightly at the two dragon slayers. "What about you two? Did you manage to defeat any dragons that night?"

The two dragon slayers growled loudly as they thought back to that night. "Not even a scratch, man those things were tough. If it weren't for that blonde lady we would have been toast." Sting admitted as he rubbed the back of his head. "Never would have thought that dragons were that strong…"

"Indeed, although I would have preferred if she could have been more properly dressed when she came to our rescue." Rouge murmured with a healthy blush on his face.

Natsu nodded, he had heard about the fact that it had been the mages of Fallen Celestial had been instrumental in defeat of the dragons, either forcing them back through the gate or outright killing a few. Natsu couldn't help but feel glad at the fact that Lucy hadn't decided to outright attack Fairy Tail when she had the chance or otherwise they might not have fared so well.

"Natsu…we need to talk…now." An ice cold voice interrupted their conversation, causing the three dragon slayers to turn their heads to see Gray staring directly at Natsu with a complicated expression.

"Hey Gray, what's up?" Natsu tentatively asked, noticing the ice mages strange demeanor.

"I need to talk to you...about this." Gray said as he held out his hand, the object held in his palm causing Natsu's breath to catch.

There, in his hand ,was his father's letter. The same letter that had asked Natsu to kill Lucy.

All noises seemed to fade from Natsu world in that moment, with the exception of his now hammering heart. _H-how did he…what do I do now?_ Natsu thought in a panic as he stared down at the worn piece of parchment.

"That's…it's…" Natsu stammered out as his mind raced in order to come up with something, anything that would satisfy his teammate.

Luckily however he didn't need to think of an excuse, as help came from an entirely unexpected source.

"Dragneel…come with me." The Alva chick, wearing a red dress that left little to the imagination, said as she appeared out of nowhere with a clearly annoyed look on her face. The Fallen Celestial mages had been constantly swamped with people asking questions with the exception of Alva, who had sent away everyone with a glare.

Both Natsu's and Gray's head whipped over to look at the red head, both remembering the fire mages relationship with Lucy. Natsu had been looking for either her or Lucy the entire night but had not seen either of them until now.

"A-ah right…well then Gray ill talk to you latter." Natsu said to his frenimey, who looked like he was about to shout out but decided against it, remembering how strong Alva had appeared during their tag team battle.

Natsu followed the red head in silence for awhile as they maneuvered through the part, but at last he could wait no longer. "So…where exactly are we going?" he questioned quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the two of them.

Alva paused for a second but did not turn to look at him. "…Luce wants to speak to you."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at the woman's use of Lucy's nickname before realizing exactly what she was talking about. Natsu's eyes widened and his heart speed up to unnatural degree.

He was finally going to get a chance to talk to Lucy, he was finally going to get the chance to apologize.

Eventually Alva led him to a door that led to a balcony that overlooked the city. Alva moved to stand alongside the door and tapped twice on the glass. She then simply leaned against the nearby wall and gestured with her head that he could enter. Natsu gulped audibly as he slowly pushed open the door, shivering slightly but weather from the cold night air or his nerves he couldn't determine.

Outside he saw something that he had been both hoping for and dreading for. Lucy stood there, staring out at the city with a sorrowful look upon her face. She was dressed in a black and gold dress that Natsu couldn't help but feel was out of place on her, as all her memories of her were of her pink and blue clothes. Her hair was longer than he remembered, going all the way down to her waist and gleaming in the party light behind them. Other than her hair and choice of dress however there was almost no change from how Natsu remembered her, even her smell was exactly the same.

"…Luce." Natsu murmured, half saying it to convince himself that she was really there.

Natsu could see Lucy tense up momentarily but otherwise gave no indication of having heard him, continuing to stare out at the city. Natsu was surprised that she seemed so calm in contrast to his own heart that was hammering in his chest; she was so calm that he couldn't even hear it beating.

"Hello Natsu…" she finally murmured as she turned to stare at Natsu, a myriad of emotions covering her face. "Answer me this first Natsu…who was she? Who was that Lucy who died at my hand?" she asked in an almost coldly callous tone.

Natsu grimaced as he slowly began to explain how they were found by Future Lucy in the dungeons underneath Mercurius and how she spoke of future misery for both Fairy Tail and for Fallen Celestial and how she had returned to the past to save them all from Zeref and Acnologia.

"I see…so she was the me of the future…" Lucy said with a sorrowful look on her face and once again turned to stare out at the burnt city.

"Luce…I…I'm so sorry!" Natsu exclaimed as he stared down at his feet, his teeth clenched in order to keep his tears from flowing. "I-I know I have no right to even speak to you…but I still have to ask…please!"

"…Natsu stop." Lucy said with a shake of her head. "…you know, you were one of my first true friends. You brought me to the place that became my home." Lucy then turned to stare at Natsu, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. "You were my teammate, my friend, and my partner…and you tried to kill me Natsu. You drove your fist right through my chest and left me for dead."

Natsu stepped back almost as if he had been struck. He wanted so badly to deny what she was saying but she was only telling the truth.

"Natsu, for seven years I dreamed of seeing you again and getting revenge for what you did to me. To hurt you like you hurt me. For so many nights it was the only thing that kept me going was the thought of this day, of avenging my blood on your hands." Lucy screamed as her tears fell even faster.

Natsu wanted nothing more than to hold Lucy to his chest and try to quiet her tears but he couldn't, it was no longer his place to comfort her.

"…but then again, that same blood now coats my hands as well doesn't it Natsu." Lucy said quietly to herself as she looked down at her own hands, both now shacking slightly. "She died at my hands, even if I was fused with Ira at the time that doesn't change what I did."

"No Luce! It wasn't you; it was because of me that she died not you!" Natsu tired to shift the blame to himself but Lucy simply shook her head as she clenched the hand above her chest.

"No it was me…and nothing you can say will remove the sin I now carry." Lucy denied as she continued to shake her head. And now stared up into Natsu's eyes, her emotions unreadable. "Natsu…I may never forgive you for what you have done to me…and I know I can never forget what you have done…but the Future me died pleading with to try to move past my hatred, and to go back to my home. And despite my personal feelings I can't simply ignore my own last request."

Natsu's head shot up, his face hopeful despite the situation. "Wait Luce…you mean…?"

Lucy smiled sadly as she stared at Natsu. "Tell Fairy Tail that Fallen Celestial will make a house call a few days from now. Tell them that I'll be coming home soon."

 **And there we go. so what did you think? if anyone has any criticism of this chapter i would be happy to hear it. next time, Lucy confronts the guild and more talk between Natsu and Lucy. until then!**


	22. Chapter 22

**so a lot of you have sent messages about how your hoping that Lucy and Abaddon end up together but here's the thing, there's pretty much no way to work that out in the current story line i have planned. i do plan to do a spin off where Lucy dosent forgive Fairy Tail and i suppose i could work it out in there but theres no way i could see it working in Fallen Celestial.**

 **but oh well, on with the story!**

Lucy grimaced as the Fairy Tail guild hall finally came into view. It had been almost a week since the Grand Magic Games and Fallen Celestial was finally arriving to face Lucy's family, something Lucy had been dreading ever since she had talked to Natsu that night. She knew exactly how everyone was going to react to her story but that wasn't what she was dreading. She was afraid of how much she had changed since the last time she had walked through those doors. Could she really go back to the place that had brought her so much joy but at the same time was a place that would remind her of her pain?

Alva apparently could feel her anxiousness, as the half dragon had been holding Lucy's hand the entire time they had been walking to Magnolia and had been sending her reassuring smiles, calming Lucy's unbeating heart.

But at long last, they had finally arrived. Lucy took one last deep breath, shook her head in order to clear her thoughts, and pushed the massive doors open.

The inside was exactly as Lucy remembered it, although with the major exception of every single pair of eyes in the place glued to her.

Lucy couldn't help but gulp as she smiled nervously and waved. "H-hey guys…I'm back."

It was almost like her words broke some sort of spell that had been placed upon Fairy Tail, as the moment they heard her voice tears began to flow from nearly every eye in the place. Lucy was only able to take a single step into the building before a blue blur slammed into her chest, sending her flying through the air and landing with a huff on her back.

"Lushi…Lushi…it's really you…you're back!" Happy cried as he clung desperately to her shirt and cried.

"Hey Happy…it's good to be home." Lucy comforted as she patted the exceed on the head and tried to stand, however before she could even sit up another flash of blue landed on top of her with much more force than Happy did.

"L-luuuuu!" Levy cried out as she tried to crush Lucy in a bear hug. And within seconds Mira followed after her, crying just as much as the blue haired girl and Wendy following shortly after the she-devil.

Lucy decided it was simpler to simply stay on the floor as she was crushed in hug after hug as each member of Fairy Tail took their turn to try to crush the life out of her in their happiness. Lucy simply smiled patiently as each person took their turn, until at long last Erza grabbed her from the back of her shirt and lifted her from the pile of bodies.

Lucy looked at the requip mage with a smile on her face. The older woman looked back at Lucy with a quivering lip and emotions swirling through her eyes.

"Hey Erza, long time no see." Lucy warmly said, causing the red head to whip her into her chest in a bone crushing hug.

"Y-you damn fool…if you were alive you should have just come back home!" Erza cried out as her hug got even tighter.

"I know, I'm sorry…but I had things I had to take care of." Lucy murmured as she returned the hug, tears escaping from her own eyes as well.

"You're back now, that's all that matters in the end." Gray said as he approached and placed a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy smiled at the ice make mage from within Erza's hug. "I guess that's true…hey Gray." And after extracting herself from Erza's death hug proceeded to hug the ice make mage.

It was only after everyone had greeted Lucy that the master walked up, a massive grin on his face. "Welcome home my child; it's good to see you without your hood."

Lucy giggled at that, "Ya, it did seem kind of pointless now that everyone had seen my face."

The master's smile grew wider for a second before a serious expression came over his face, causing Lucy to flinch at the suddenness of the change. "Speaking of your disguise, my child, why did you hide from your family? What exactly happened to you seven years ago?"

Lucy sighed as she closed her eyes in contemplation. She knew from the moment she walked through the door that this question was coming but she still didn't want to face. Slowly opening her eyes, Lucy surveyed the now nervous crowd until her eyes landed on Natsu, who was staring at her with an equally as nervous but with clear conviction in his eyes. He was ready to face their family for what he had done.

"…alright then, I suppose I should start from the beginning." Lucy said almost depressingly as she took a seat in the chair Mira offered her. "It's a long story though so I suggest you settle in."

And at long last, Lucy began to tell her story. However, much to the surprise of everyone present, Lucy did not start her story with the night she disappeared. Instead she started the story by explaining how she awoke in another world, with Abaddon sitting across a bonfire who arrogantly explained that he was the lord of Pride and a demon that saved her life. Said demon of course gave quite the bow when Lucy introduced him to the guild, who were nervously staring at the man who could apparently fight on par with Makarov.

Lucy went on to talk about how she rescued Alva from slave traders and her training in the city of Wrath and learned her new magic.

"So wait, you know another kind of magic now bunny girl?" Gajeel of all people asked with battle hungry grin on his face.

Lucy's face twisted into a feral grin of her own as she conjured an orb of dark matter into her hand. "Yep, dark matter magic to be precise. Or shadow celestial magic if you prefer. It's a more offensive based form of celestial magic that allows me to create destructive orbs of dark matter or create a sword to fight with."

Gajeel gave a low whistle as he cracked his knuckles, "Gi he, looks like I'm gonna have to fight you sometime bunny girl."

"Oh no you don't Gajeel! We're not gonna loose Lu again just because you want to test your strength!" Levy scolded as she smacked the iron dragon slayer on the head.

Lucy simply smiled back at the black haired man. "I wouldn't recommend it Gajeel, even your dragon slayer abilities can't match up to me now. After all each pact I have gives me even more magical energy."

Lucy then explained the concept behind the pacts and how she obtained a pact from each of the lords of sin and even with one of the Divinities of Virtue. Speaking about each lord in turn and explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each race of demons.

However, much to the surprise of her own team, Lucy avoided mentioning the dragons or her mother's relationship to said dragons and simply moved on to how they returned to find that most of Fairy Tail had vanished on Tenrou and how Fallen Celestial made it their mission to hunt down Zeref.

"Hang on Blondie, I get that you've gotten stronger but there's one thing that's bugging me. How exactly have you not changed at all in the seven years you've been gone? You weren't trapped on the island like the rest of us and from what you just said time passed at the same rate in this underworld place right? So how have you not aged?" Laxus questioned from his place in the corner of the guild.

Lucy blinked in surprise at the question, not really expecting anyone not to have figured it out already. "…really? None of you dragon slayers figured it out yet? Alva noticed it after only a few hours so I just thought that with four of you here you would have noticed it almost immediately."

The dragon slayers only looked at her with a confused face and Alva simply scoffed and crossed her arms. "It just means their senses aren't on par with mine…not surprising really."

Lucy simply sighed as the four dragon slayers continued to stare confusingly between the two. "Don't be like that Alva, our reunion with Fairy Tail has been anything but calm so it's not surprising that they missed it."

"Luce, what exactly are you trying to say?" Natsu asked from his spot in the crowd.

Lucy simply smiled sadly and Alva growled angrily at Natsu use of her nickname. "It would be faster for you to just come up here and listen yourself, I'm sure you'll notice now.

Natsu, a confused look still on his face, walked up and stared intently at Lucy as he tried to decipher her cryptic words. However it only took a few seconds for him to realize exactly what she was talking about, and it was something so obvious that he couldn't help but feel stupid for having missed it earlier.

"Luce…you…you don't have a heartbeat!" He yelled out in shock as he inadvertently took a step back, the rest of the guild mirroring his reaction.

"Yep…although it's more accurate to say I'm on my final heartbeat. It's part of the spell that Abaddon used to keep me alive after the events of that night." Lucy explained as her face fell into a frown.

"My child… I can understand your desire not to reminisce about that night but we do deserve to know the truth of what happened to you that night." Makarov asked from his spot on the bar, worry etched on his face.

Lucy quickly glanced at both Natsu and Abaddon for a second before closing her eyes and returning to that night. "…it was a monster elimination job if I recall correctly…and storm was blowing through the area…we dispatched the monsters with relative ease but before we could regroup… a blow struck me through my stomach, a fist encased in fire."

Lucy could hear the shocked gasps of her family but she didn't stop talking. "I turned around, trying to identify my attacker…only to find Natsu behind me, my blood on his hands."

At first the guild was completely silent as each member tried to process what they had just learned in their own ways. Hands shot to mouths and eyes filled with horror, some even screamed out in shock.

However no reactions compared to two. Both Gray and Erza screamed out in rage and charged at Natsu, murder clear in their eyes. However Lucy had been prepared for this reaction. Before either could land their blows upon Natsu Abaddon moved to stand before the fire dragon slayer and deflected their attacks.

"Natsu you bastard!...it was true? All of it was true? How could you!" Gray screamed in rage as he tried to approach again only to be held back by Alva.

"Wait Gray, Erza…Master; before you pass judgment would you allow us to finish this story?" Lucy said as she too stood in front of Natsu, shocking the guild yet again at the fact she would protect her would be murderer.

"…Very well, we shall hear the rest of your tale before I pass judgment upon Natsu." Makarov decided with barely contained fury, something that nearly every member present in the hall.

Lucy nodded before turning back to face Natsu, who now had an absolutely horrible look on his face. "So what happened that day Natsu…why did you try to kill me?" Lucy questioned coldly, causing Natsu to flinch at her tone.

"…it was a few days before the mission." Natsu started to explain as he stared down at his feet. "I got a letter in the mail, a letter claiming to be from my dad." A few murmurs echoed through the hall but no one interrupted. "It said that Lucy had to die for the sake of the world, that one day she would destroy us all. I ignored it at first, thinking it was just some cruel prank some dark guild tried to play. But then I noticed the scent." Natsu paused and gulped audibility, tears beginning to leak from his eyes. "I-it smelled exactly like my old man. That's not something someone could fake! It really was a letter from Igneel and I-I didn't know what to do!" And Natsu finally broke down into full on sobs.

The guild was quite once again as they tried to process Natsu's revelation. Lucy however had completely expected his answer. Falling onto a knee and placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Natsu…do you still have this letter?" She asked quietly.

"Its right here Lucy…" Gray said coldly as he moved to stand alongside Lucy and stare coldly down at Natsu, fury still evident in his features.

Lucy blinked in surprise as she stood and took the letter from Gray's outstretched hand. "Gray? How did you end up with this?" she asked as she passed the letter to Abaddon who began to quickly read through its contents.

"I found it on him the night after the tag team battles. I didn't think it was possible but I guess I overestimated Natsu's integrity." Gray answered without removing his gaze from the sobbing dragon slayer.

Lucy didn't blame Gray for his anger, as it was something she too had felt for many years. Abaddon handed the letter back to Lucy who quickly read it over herself, a cold pit settling in her stomach when she read the part that pleaded for her death. "…Well Abaddon? What do you think?" Lucy asked as she handed the note back to Abaddon, drawing curious gazes from everyone present including Natsu.

"It is as I informed you four years ago. Although if I had to guess I would say that Zeref is the one responsible." Abaddon declared, his own voice turning serious for once.

"W-what are you talking about?" Natsu asked as his sobs began to die down.

Lucy stared down at Natsu with sorrow on her face. She knew what she was about to say would only hurt Natsu more but she couldn't keep the truth from Fairy Tail any longer. "Natsu…this letter is a fake. Igneel had nothing to do with this."

Natsu face snapped up to stare at her with pure shock. "No…No! t-that can't be possible! I-it had his scent on it! That's not something someone could fake Luce!" Natsu screamed out in both panic and anger, clearly beyond confused by what Lucy said.

Lucy however was merciless as she slowly shook her head. "I'm afraid so Natsu, after all if Igneel had something against me he would have just killed me when I met him in Underworld."

Lucy could hear Wendy cry out in surprise and a low growl escape Gajeel's lips at the mention of a dragon. However Natsu just stared at Lucy with a blank and confused look. "…What…what do you mean?"

"Natsu…I met Igneel during my travels though Underworld." Lucy calmly declared before turning to look at Gajeel and Wendy. "I met Metalicana and Grandeeney as well, they're fine by the way."

Lucy then began to tell the guild about the Bifrost and the fact that the dragons originally came from Underworld but were forced back when all the magic left the Bifrost and were therefore forced back. Lucy moved on to how she had spent over a year in the dragon kingdom, fighting and learning from the massive creatures. She also explained how when they had finally returned to Earthland Abaddon informed her about Natsu's letter and that both Acnologia and Zeref would be capable of forging the letter and that it because of said letter that Fallen Celestial hunted down the two monsters.

When she finally finished the guild stared at her like she had grown a second head, something she expected but was still disappointed to see. Gray was still staring down at Natsu but his look had changed from cold fury to simple confusion, apparently the fact that Natsu had been manipulated from the start taking some of the wind out of his sails. And Natsu simply looked up at her with a heartbroken expression. "Y-you mean that I put you through all of this suffering…for nothing?"

Lucy couldn't help but look away at Natsu's forlorn gaze as she answered. "…yea."

Natsu lowered his head as his body slumped almost lifelessly to the floor. Lucy was about to place a hand on his shoulder, feeling horrible for him despite herself, but before she could a strange sense of foreboding overtook her body. Lucy stepped back in shock as Natsu's body was consumed by a blood red flame that seemed to be roaring in anger.

And then it was gone, Lucy blinked her eyes to see Natsu still sitting lifelessly but otherwise fine, the strange fire completely gone. Lucy casually scanned the nearby faces to see if anyone else noticed the flames but besides for seeing many deflated and defeated gazes no one seemed particularly scared or surprised.

 _Did I just imagine that? Or maybe it was my connection to demons that let me see it?_ Lucy thought to herself as she turned to stare at the Master, forcing the strange flames to the back of her mind for now.

"Master…despite what Natsu has done and the fact that I may never forgive him for his actions…I cannot blame him, after all, If I received a letter from my mother pleading for me to protect the world and I was certain that it was real I'm not sure how I would act." Lucy shrugged then and a sad smile forming on her face. "Besides…in the end I'm the only one who's murdered a Lucy here."

The members of Lucy's team all frowned at the mention of Future Lucy, Alva in particular, but the rest of Fairy Tail simply turned their confused faces back to Lucy.

"Are you talking about the Lucy from the future Lucy?" Mira questioned as she thought back to the girl they had met during their escape from the dungeons.

Lucy nodded slowly as she stared down at her clenched right hand. "Natsu mentioned that you, Wendy and the Exceed squad met up with her…do you know what happened to her in the end?"

"No…she vanished when she fought against a strange looking man who also claimed to be from the future." Wendy explained, nervous about what Lucy was implying.

"In the end, Natsu and she both tried to stop me when I was going berserk…and she paid the ultimate price to save me from my wrath." Lucy slowly explained as she stared back up at everyone, unshed tears in the corners of her eyes. "Her last words were spent convincing me to move on and return to everyone. And if Natsu is going to be expelled for what he has done than I have to suffer the same fate as well." Lucy said as she raised her emblem out to the Master, allowing him to decide their fate.

Makarov stared down at Lucy's had with a sorrowful expression before staring at Natsu with the same face. "…Put your hand down my dear, I will not be expelling either of you today." Makarov said with a wave of his and. "However, Natsu still put one of our members in jeopardy and that's not something I can just let go of easily. He must still face some form of punishment."

Happy flew into Lucy's arms, tears still falling from his eyes as he watched his foster father still on the floor. Lucy held Happy close, knowing how he must feel finding out that Natsu had been the one to attack her.

"Your right master, and if it's all right with you though I have a good idea for that." Lucy said with a cruel grin on her face, causing Happy to shiver in her arms. Lucy then turned to Abaddon, who was staring at her with a mischievous expression. "Abaddon, would you be so kind as to see to Natsu's punishment?"

The members of Fallen Celestial screamed out in shock, with Lilith in particular screaming loudly, at the thought of Natsu having to go though Abaddon's punishment.

Alva sprinted forward and shook Natsu from his daze. "You need to get out of here Dragneel! Run as fast as you can!" she warned as she tossed Natsu at the door.

"W-what the hell are you talking about?" Natsu screamed out as he landed on his face. However, despite Alva's efforts, Abaddon appeared right behind Natsu with a hand planted firmly on the dragon slayers shoulder.

"Of course Milady, it would be my honor to punish Mr. Dragneel for his crimes." Abaddon said with a bow before both he and Natsu disappeared into his shadow, Natsu crying out in surprise as his body disappeared into the darkness.

Fairy Tail stared at the spot their most destructive dragon slayer had been standing in with open mouths. No one really understood the implications of having Abaddon's punishment but they knew that if it was anything like their own masters punishment then it couldn't be good.

"Luce…I know he tried to kill you but that was just too cruel." Alva said as she clenched her fists at her sides, angry over her failure to save her cousin from his fate.

Lucy stared back at Alva with her head tilted to the side and her eyes wide in mock innocence. "You really think so? I thought it was adequate for what he did to me." And with that Lucy turned back to the Master, a wide grin on her face. "So that's my story Master, what should we do now?" Lucy asked, knowing full well what his answer would be.

The Master smiled at her as he stood up from his spot on the bar. "Why of course we celebrate your return. Fairy Tail is whole again and no one will stop us now!" Master yelled as he pointed his finger into the air, the rest of Fairy Tail following suit and yelling happily.

Lucy giggled as she was once again swarmed by her guildmates, each wanting to know more details of her adventures. Despite the pain she had suffered over the last seven years it was still good to be back.

 **quick note, this is not the end of the story. i have one more arc planned and then it will end. until next time!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Not really that happy with this chapter but i cant figure out anything else to put into it. turns out that some of my favorite chapters to read, fairy tail being fairy tail, are some of the hardest for me to write.**

 **Also, we passed one hundred followers, one hundred reviews and one hundred and fifty follows on the last chapter! the last chapter also had the most reviews for any single chapter. so thank you to Adelene900, Wolfshadow1, Moon Stone Tiger Lily, Aqua Fire Queen, Johnny Spectre ,Alaina Kuski, xzEr00nly1x , and jfkkennedy for their reviews.**

* * *

Lucy laughed boisterously as she watched Fairy Tail start a brawl yet again and this time Alva had decided to take part, sending bodies flying through the air as she plowed though her competition.

Almost immediately after Natsu's "Departure" Fairy Tail had started to celebrate with the same fervor that they had back when Lisanna came back from the dead and Lucy was enjoying every second of it. She had never gotten a chance to cut loose during the last four years and she wasn't going to miss this chance.

Sipping slowly on her beer, Lucy gasped in surprise before giggling madly as Gray lifted her into the air and spun her around for the third time that night. The grinning ice make mage, clearly having had a little too much to drink, laughed as he rubbed Lucy's hair.

"Heyyy Luccyyy…I've got to get you back for your stupid demons sending me flying during the tag team battle." Gray slurred as he placed Lucy back on a stool.

Lucy giggled at his antics before answering. "I wouldn't Gray; if I fought you going all out I might end up killing you. After all, I wasn't taking the fight all that seriously after all."

"Hoh? That's Quite the interesting statement Lucy. I would enjoy testing the limits of your strength myself." Erza commented, her own cheeks slightly pink as she too had been enjoying the evening.

"Hell ya! Lucy's super manly now!" Elfman shouted as he chugged his own beer, the guild members around him cheering as he did so.

Lucy was about to refute her manliness when a particularly loud crash drew her attention back to the center of the guild. In the center of the guild was a pile of bodies and tables stacked almost to the ceiling, upon which Alva stood looking quite heroic as she searched the crowd.

DRAGNEEL! GET OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME!" She shouted as she released a breath of flame into the air.

"Oh dear, Alva's almost like a female Natsu when she's drunk." Mira observed from her spot behind the bar, her voice being the only non slurred voice in the place as she was the only one who refrained from drinking.

"Well that's kind of what I would expect; after all they are cousins technically." Lucy said as she started to laugh like she was the only one who got a joke. Lucy continued to laugh until she noticed that everyone around her was staring at her with their mouths open. "…what's wrong guys?"

"Lucy…you do realize how shocking of a statement that is right?" Gray tentatively asked, the others nodding slowly in agreement.

Lucy blinked slowly for a second before finally realizing why everyone was staring at her strangely. "Oh…right, I forgot you haven't seen what she looks like normally." Lucy sighed before giggling again and looking through the crowd for Lilith, seeing her flirting with Loke once again. "Heeeyyyy Liiillliiithhh! Can you turn off your illusion off for a second?"

Lilith looked up from Loke for a second and smiled coyly at Lucy before snapping her fingers, causing the illusion on Alva to vanish.

In the next second Alva transformed, the skin around her hands and feet transforming into draconic claws and talons respectfully. Her dark red wings sprouted from her back and twitched with anticipation of a fight. And last but not least her horns reappeared on her head, giving her a more demonic visage

Lucy enjoyed hearing the sounds of shock reverberate though the hall while Alva continued to look around for Natsu, clearly unsatisfied with the brawl she had just finished.

" Lucy…she has horns!" Wendy exclaimed, drawing Alva's attention and allowing everyone to see her dragon like eyes.

Lucy tilted her head to the side as she stared at the young dragon slayer. "Of course she does silly; she's a half dragon after all.

"You know Bunny Girl…I think you might have gotten to used to strange things in your time away if your dropping stuff like that like you're talking about the weather." Gajeel tiredly explained, to which Lucy simply tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh that's right! Speaking of dragons you met Grandeeney right Lucy? She's ok right?" Wendy asked nervously at the mention of dragons.

"Oh she's fine, I didn't get to see her as much as I did of Metalicana or Igneel but I did get to spend a little bit of time with her. She even took me flying a few times." Lucy explained, causing happy tears to fall from Wendy's eyes.

"Oh thank the gods…she's ok…" Wendy happily cried as she wiped her tears.

"Good for you child." Charla comforted as she landed on Wendy's shoulder.

"Ah, I almost forgot! Your parents wanted me to give you something if I ever saw you again." Lucy suddenly declared as she rummaged through her purse, drawing curious gazes from both Wendy and Gajeel.

After a few minutes of Lucy mumbling under her breath as she searched through her things she finally shouted out in success as she lifted two items from her bag. One was a pure white feather on an equally as white metal chain. The feather seemed to glow faintly and a light breeze emanated from it. The other item was an almost pitch black metal armband that was polished to such perfection that it gleamed like jewels in the daylight.

"This one's for you Wendy, I was told it was one of your mothers feathers from her wings." Lucy explained as she carefully handed a wide eyed Wendy the feather pendant. "And here's yours Gajeel, although Metalicana said you probably didn't want it." Lucy giggled as she tossed Gajeel the armband, the iron dragon slayer scoffing as he caught it and studied it carefully.

"L-Lucy…thanks so much…" Wendy said as tears once again began to fall from her cheeks.

"che, that old bastard…abandoning us and trying to make it up to us with a gift?" Gajeel scoffed but still placed the armband on his right arm, smiling slightly as it gleamed in the sunlight.

"Its manly to give gifts!" Elfman shouted as he too began to cry and drink at the same time, Lisanna scolding him all the while.

"Oh shut it Elfman! Hey Lucy, get over here and take another shot with me. The parties only getting started after all." Cana yelled from her place on a nearby table, a barrel of beer still slung under her arm.

* * *

It was much later into the day and when Lucy was far further into her drink when Natsu finally returned. Lucy had been talking to Levy about the many books she had discovered during her months in the Library of Greed when a shadowy portal opened in the ceiling, said pink haired dragon slayer crying out in surprise when he fell out of it and landed with a crunch on an already damaged table.

Lucy watched exasperatedly as everyone glared at Natsu, no one quite over their anger at what he had done despite Lucy's explanation. Even Happy had chosen to sit on Lucy's shoulder and stare sadly at his foster father. He knew better than anyone what Natsu had been going through after Lucy died but he still couldn't bring himself to fly back to Natsu's shoulder Lucy however was far too gone to bother thinking about everyone as she bounded over to the fire dragon slayer, a playful grin on her face.

"Wwwwhhhhyyyy hello Natsu…did you enjoy your quality time with the Lord of Pride?"

Natsu jumped backwards at Lucy's mention of the demon, his eyes wide in horror. "Oh gods…the whips…and the rope…I don't think I'll ever look at candles the same way again." Natsu murmured, as he wrapped his arms around his chest and rocked back and forth.

"Oh you poor baby! Here, let Miss Lilith comfort you." Lilith cooed as she embraced the dragon slayer, she herself having experienced the horrors that Abaddon could unleash upon his victims.

Lucy frowned at the site of the mistress of Lust and Natsu hugging it out in the center of the guild, although she couldn't quite put her finger on why she was apparently so uncomfortable with the image. However before she could separate the two both Gray and Loke approached, both their faces bearing masks of rage. Natsu apparently could tell how angry everyone was with him as he stood up to stare at the two men, his face locked in a glare of his own but his eyes clearly betraying how nervous he was.

Not one of the three spoke for a few minutes, the two men simply staring at Natsu and Natsu staring back. Lucy was about to step in between the glaring men when Gray finally made his move, pulling his fist back and striking Natsu in the face, sending him flying backwards into a pile of tables.

"That's for hurting Lucy you bastard, and don't ever make the mistake of betraying youre family again." Gray coldly declared as he turned and stormed off to speak to Juvia, who was currently gushing about how cool her "Darling Gray" was.

Loke moved to stand over the fallen dragon slayer, the anger on his face faltering somewhat at the sight of Natsu's now bloody lips. "My master may have chosen to move on Natsu, but don't think for a second that we celestial spirits have forgiven you for what you've done. We will hate you till the day you die."

Natsu stood back up, his own face matching the seriousness of Loke's. "I understand, because it's the same for me. I understand better than anyone." Natsu declared as his eyes darted over to Lucy for a second before once again returning to the lion spirit.

Lucy could see her spirits eyes widen slightly but before either could make a move a roar echoed out from the other side of the guild.

"Dragneel! Fight me now! I shall avenge Lucy's honor!" Alva shouted as she awoke from her passed out state when she noticed Natsu's scent in the guild.

Lucy couldn't help but giggle when Natsu yelped at Alva's more terrifying appearance and started to flee from the berserking girl. "Natsu, what happened to Abaddon?"

"He said something about taking care of some business before he came back. And someone stop this crazy chick!" Natsu shouted as he jumped over Alva's breath attack.

"Oh I don't know, I think it's great that you two cousins have some time to bond." The Master chuckled from his spot on the counter. "Just so long as Fallen Celestial foots the repair bill."

"Wait a sec gramps, what's this about cousins?!"

* * *

As Fairy tail continued to party only a single being noticed that the guild was currently being spied upon from afar. A single mage, sitting in the center of the forest, watched the guild building with a forelorn look on his face. He could feel Natsu's suffering even from here but could do nothing to comfort him, and despite his desire to it was not what he truly wanted after all. With another shaterd part of the fire dragon slayers control he was one step closer to obtaining what he had been wishing for over the last four hundred years.

"You always had the bad habit of spying upon others. I must say I'm not all that surprised." A cold voice brought the mage out of his thoughts. The man stood up to see who had spoken to him and was shocked at the white suited man who emerged from the trees.

"It has been quite awhile Zeref, although I refuse to say that it is a pleasure to see you again." Abaddon coldy commented, his eyes glaring holes through the man before him.

"…Abaddon…but how did you…?" Zeref asked breathlessly as he stared at the demon.

"My current master, a woman of such strength that she could stand toe to toe with you." Abaddon explained, his face twisting into a scowl. "But I am surprised, surprised that you would take such a familiar tone with me after everything you've done."

Zeref was silent for a second as he stared sadly into the forest, memories of a black haired girl floating to the surface of his thoughts. "Abaddon, I know that you will never forgive me but I never meant for that to happen. The power of the Eclipse gate was beyond what I anticipated."

"Do not bother with your excuses Zeref; we are far beyond the point of apologies." Abaddon refuted as a cruel smile appeared on his lips. "But I must say I'm surprised, to think that my new master would be so close with your precious Natsu. Fate has a truly cruel sense of humor."

"Don't you dare Abaddon, what happened two hundred years ago was between the two of us. There's no reason to involve Natsu or the rest of Mavis's guild."

Abaddon laughed manically for a moment before answering. "I had forgotten how humorous you can be. After all, surely the very man who made this personal wouldn't dare try to keep me from involving others? Surely he isn't that ignorant?" Abaddon questioned before turning and beginning to walk back into the forest, but turned his head to make one last comment. "Remember this Zeref, I will not rest until I have taken what you care for most, just as you have done to me." And with that Abaddon vanished into the woods, leaving Zeref to stare down at the ground with his hands clenched at his sides.

There was something that neither man noticed however. And that was that a young blonde girl was sitting upon a branch just above the clearing, her green eyes squinting down at the dark mage as she worried about the future of her guild.

 **kind of a fluff chapter except for the very end but still a somewhat necessary chapter. until next time.**


	24. Chapter 24

**you know, i really dont like December anymore, it really seems to bring out the stupid in most people. eh, oh well, lets just get on with the chapter.**

* * *

It had been three weeks since Lucy and the others had returned to Fairy Tail and Lucy had enjoyed every moment of it. She hadn't realized how much she had really missed her family during those seven years, and she had missed them more than she was willing to admit.

Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Happy had barely left her side during the last three weeks constantly asking her to tell them stories of her time away from the Guild and Lucy was more than happy to oblige.

The others of Fallen Celestial had intergraded quite well as well. Frederick and Erza had bonded over their mutual love of armor, the two spending many an hour discussing the finer points of armored warfare.

Roland and Levy as well had started to get along equally as well, both their passions for books giving them constant things to talk about. And while Lucy was more than happy to see the two getting along and she couldn't help but giggle at Gajeel's scowls every time the two bookworms spoke to each other.

Lilith and Mirajane spent every day behind the counter pointing out couples and obviously up to no good but so long as it didn't involve her own relationships she was fine with their scheming. Alva spent her time at Lucy's side, growling at anyone who approached that she didn't approve of and fighting against Gajeel or Natsu when the two attacked her, claiming that they would prove themselves stronger than any half dragon. But with the fact that Alva had spent nearly every day training with a lord of hell left the two dragon slayers beaten and bloody after every battle, something that Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at.

The only one who hadn't joined Fairy Tail proper and the only one who had been keeping mostly to himself was Abaddon, who had been barely seen around the guild hall and Magnolia in general. Lucy had questioned him on his absence but the Lord of Pride merely waved off her concern claiming that it was just him searching for any sign of Zeref or Acnologia during his absence from the guild.

"Oh Lucy! You've got some mail here in your name." Mira shouted out from her spot behind the counter, drawing Lucy out of her thoughts and her gaze to the two barmaids.

With a curious look on her face, Lucy made her way up to the counter to find a brown envelope in Mira's hands. Taking the mail from the barmaid's hand, Lucy's eyes went wide for a second when she saw the Magic Counsel's insignia upon the front, marking the letter as only one of two things.

Instantly Lucy raised her hand and snapped her fingers rapidly three times, drawing the attention of the entirety of Fallen Celestial. Alva and Abaddon were on her in a second, their faces equally as serious as Lucy's now was.

"Alva, is the scent correct?" Lucy quietly asked her tone matching her face.

Alva bent down and examined the parchment, her face twisting in concentration as she scented the envelop. "…it smells untampered, likely from the usual source and I don't detect any new scents on it."

Lucy nodded before turning to Abaddon and handing him the envelope, the lord of Pride opening the letter and examining its contents. "Well Abaddon? What exactly are we dealing with here?" Lucy questioned quietly.

"According to the request a D class was detected near the Entatos forest. Unknown origin but likely an Etherious from the description written here, locals have asked for aid and the council forwarded the request to us as per usual." The lord of Pride declared with a hand on his chin as he considered the request.

Lucy too lapsed into silence; it had been awhile since they had received an Etherious request. Were the false demons finally beginning to make their move? Or was this just Zeref trying to draw them out. "Any word from Crime Sorcière? Have they heard anything about sightings in this forest?"

"Unknown, they have not contradicted us since the grand magic games so we are unable to verify the information through them." Frederick said with a scowl.

The entire group was quiet for a moment before someone coughed awkwardly in the guild, drawing all their gazes from the paper to look at the members of Fairy Tail.

"Lucy my dear, care to explain what's going on?" The Master's concerned voice rose from his place on the bar.

Lucy blinked and looked up to see nearly every eye in the guild on them, their gazes filled with unasked questions and concerns for their newly returned Celestial mage.

"Ah right… I suppose that I haven't explained this stuff yet have I?" Lucy said with a sigh as the guild members around nodded. "This is a request from the magic counsel that pertains to very specific target. A target that Fallen Celestial just happen to specialize in dealing with. this one in particular," Lucy said as she tapped the note in Abaddon's hand. "Is a request to investigate demon sightings in the Entatos forest and deal with it appropriately."

"I see...will we be investigating this then? I admit that I am quite curious as to what you have been doing these years apart." Erza commented as she stood from her bar stool, Gray and Wendy following suit.

"You guys are going to come with us?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow, curious but still happy that they would want to accompany them on a mission that doesn't have any real rewards.

"Of course, you don't think we're going to let you out of our sight now that we finally got you back? You must be crazy if you didn't consider the fact that we'd be along for the ride." Gray said with a scoff as he tossed his shirt behind him without even noticing, although Wendy most certainly noticed as she began to blush and turned away.

Lucy smiled for a second, the prospect of going on another mission with her former team to good to pass up, but the thought of her old team inevitably led to thoughts of Natsu. Lucy's eyes slowly turned until she saw him in the same position he always was after the party, sulking in one of the dark corners of the guild, with a depressed scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

Despite the fact that Lucy explained the truth of that stormy night and the fact that they were both victims of a cruel deception, almost no one spoke to the Pink haired idiot. Even Happy, his best friend from before Lucy met him that fateful day in Hargeon, avoided him like the plague and instead spent his time on Lucy's shoulder or with Carla and Wendy.

Lucy had to admit that for the first week or so it was a little too enjoyable to know that Natsu had been ostracized from his family but at this point it was getting ridiculous. Sure, Lucy had been quite chummy with him the day and night of her welcome home party but that was during a time that she had consumed enough alcohol to even impress Cana and once she had sobered up she had absolutely no intention of returning to being buddy buddy with him.

 _But still…even by my standards this is a little much…_ Lucy thought as she continued to watch the dragon slayer. _I guess I'll just have to handle this myself like always._ And after reaching her decision, strolled over to Natsu, the rest of the guild watching her curiously as she continued to advance.

When Lucy was only a few feet from Natsu's table the dragon slayers head shot up having likely heard the sound of someone nearing him, his face both nervous and curious as he watched her approach.

"So Natsu, aren't you going to go get ready? We've got a mission lined up after all and I would prefer to get going sooner rather than later." Lucy said with a small smile on her face and her hands on her hips.

Natsu's eyes bulged slightly as he stared at Lucy with a skeptical gaze. "Wait…you mean I'm coming too?" Natsu slowly asked as if he was afraid it was a trick.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at Natsu's skepticism but continued to smile. "Of course, unless you prefer to remain here in your corner of the guild?"

Natsu didn't waste a second before jumping up, an ecstatic look on his face. "No, I'll go I'll go! Just let me go get my stuff!" And before Lucy could say anything more the dragon slayer sprinted off into the distance, Happy following him slowly after him with a worried look on his face.

"You sure Lucy? You don't have to feel pity for him after what he's done to you?" Erza asked as she walked over to Lucy's side and stared at the retreating dust cloud that was Natsu.

"I'm sure, while I haven't forgiven him for what he's done in the end it's not really that different from when Juvia tried to drown me, or when Gajeel threw daggers at me to entertain himself, or when Evergreen turned me to stone, or Laxus tried to hit me with lightning, or when Bickslow tried to take my soul…" Lucy began to list off before stopping and staring at the guild with a strange expression on her face. "You know, now that I think about it, why exactly am I in this guild? I feel like I've been placed in an unnecessary amount of danger since I've joined by people that are supposed to be on my own side." But the only response to Lucy's question was a few awkward stares, mostly from those who Lucy had just called out. Lucy simply shrugging her shoulders in defeat. "Oh well…anyway pack your bags for about a week's worth of travel everyone and let's get this show on the road."

The members of team Fallen Celestial nodded in understanding but the others simply stared at Lucy with a curious expression on their faces. "Why pack for such a long period of time? The forest in the description is only a half a day's train ride away?"

"Because Alva's half dragon origin gives her even worse motion sickness than any other dragon slayer, to the point where it could kill her to be on a vehicle. So we're just gonna have to walk all the way there…" Lucy explained before trailing off, a sudden realization dawning upon her and her gaze moving to stare at the sky dragon slayer. "…I completely forgot about Troia…Wendy can we rely on you this time?"

"Of course! Leave it to me!" Wendy shouted out, a wide smile on her face. A smile that Lucy returned as each person began to disperse and gather their gear.

* * *

Natsu sprinted through Magnolia so fast that everything around him blurred into a mass of colors. He was certain that he was getting strange looks from the townsfolk as he sped past but he couldn't care less, his joy was simply too great for him to worry about such trivial things.

For the last three weeks Natsu had been wracking his brain in an attempt to figure out a way of making up with Lucy, or at the very least trying to show his sincerity in making up for what he had done. But Natsu hadn't even come up with a general idea of how to apologize properly, and the fact that the guild had all but removed him from their lives didn't help him get any ideas.

And when Natsu was at his lowest point once again Lucy showed up in front of him, extending a hand with a smile on her face despite how angry she likely was with him. Not only did she speak to him again but she even invited him on a mission! Natsu almost thought that it was a little too good to be true but even if it was he wasn't about to deny a chance to spend time with his partner.

Natsu got back to his home in record time and slammed the door open and sprinted inside, his hands grabbing anything he could need on the mission, a large grin still plastered on his face. He only stopped moving when he felt someone approaching from behind.

Natsu turned around cautiously to see Happy, a sad look on his face, standing in the doorway watching Natsu.

Natsu gulped audibly as he stared at his foster son. Like the rest of the guild, Happy had been ignoring him over the last few weeks and while he could understand why the blue Exceed would be angry with him it didn't make it any easier for Natsu to accept.

For a moment neither of them spoke, both simply staring at each other with complicated expressions, but eventually Natsu sat back down in front of the cat with a sad smile on his face.

"Hey…Happy." Natsu slowly greeted, still unsure how to interact with everyone after what had happened and what had been revealed.

Happy looked down, his paws clenched at his sides, before running forward and hugging Natsu around the chest. "Natsu…sorry I haven't talked to you lately. I know that you've been hurting just as much as Lucy did but I wasn't here for you. I can kind of understand…if you went missing and I one day got a letter from you asking me to deal with Carla I don't know what I would do either…" Happy murmured as he began to cry.

Natsu was shocked for a second before placing a comforting hand on the Exceeds head. "No Happy I understand, I can't forgive myself either."

The two sat there together for a moment before Happy pulled away, a smile on his face. "But we finally get to go on a mission together with Lucy again!"

"Hell ya we are, I'm fired up!" Natsu shouted as he started to gather up his belongings once again, this time joined by Happy as well.

"Aye! And maybe if you're lucky you can get the chance to tell Lucy you love her!" Happy agreed as he began to pack fish into his backpack, completely oblivious to Natsu's reaction.

The moment Happy dropped that bomb Natsu instantly stopped, the bandages in his hands dropping to the floor as he desperately tried to process what Happy just said.

"…what…what about Lucy?" He breathlessly questioned, causing Happy to turn and stare at him with a curious gaze.

"What, you love her right? I mean that's why you're always sneaking us into her house and why you were so broken up about losing her right?" Happy questioned as he watched his foster fathers uncomprehending gaze. "Natsu! Did you really never realize it till just now? Why do you think I always say that you like her and why you always spent so much time around her?"

 _I…I love Lucy…_ Natsu thought to himself as thought back to all the times he had shared with Lucy since their meeting in Hargeon. He thought back to all the times they had fought alongside each other, all the times he had snuck into her bed and had been comforted by her soothing scent, all the times that he couldn't help but grin when he saw her enter the guild with a smile on her face or even the many times she would yell at him for sneaking into her home but would very quickly welcome him into her home.

Natsu couldn't help but grin as the truth of Happy's words finally dawned on him. "I really do, I love Lucy…" Natsu breathlessly declared as he stared up at the ceiling.

Happy couldn't help but sigh as he watched his partner. "Honestly Natsu, I know you can be dense sometimes but this is definitely takes the cake."

"Hey! I'm not that stupid; I just thought that I loved her like I love everyone in Fairy Tail." Natsu pouted as he desperately tried to defend himself.

"Uh huh, sure you did." Happy muttered with a wave of his hand as he shouldered his backpack and flew to the door. "Well if you're done with your life shattering revelation make sure to meet up at the train station." And with that Happy flew out of the door, likely to meet up with Carla and Wendy before arriving at the train station.

Natsu continued to stare at the door, his mind filled with images of his blonde partner. While it was true that Natsu hadn't ever thought of Lucy in a romantic light before, somehow the thought of being in love with her just felt so right.

"I guess I'm really as dense as everyone said…" Natsu said as he laughed dryly and placed a hand over his head. "I'm so dense that I tried to kill the woman that I love." Natsu couldn't help but think back to Future Lucy and the warm gaze she had given him just before her passing, and Natsu could feel his chest tightening with an emotion he couldn't quite describe.

"I promise Lucy…I won't make the same mistake again. I'll keep the current you safe, even if she doesn't want anything to do with me or hates me now. I'll keep her safe till my dying breath." Natsu murmured to the spirit of the girl who had saved his life and bolted out the door, his trademarked smile once again on his face.

* * *

 **i might do some major changes to this chapter later, as im not to happy with how it turned out but at the very least Natsu finally figured out his feelings. but he certainly has a long road ahead of him if he ever wants to act on it.**

 **Just FYI to those of you who are reading this story as its being updated i probably wont get the next chapter out for a few weeks. what with December being December and the fact that i will be moving to a new state at the end of the month. and for those of you who are reading in the future congratulation, this note means almost nothing to you.**


	25. Chapter 25

**i mentioned this on one of my other Fairy Tail stories, Solomon's Child (Cough, cough, shameless self promotion, cough) But im sorry for the delay on this chapter. moved to another state last month and things are finally starting to get normal again. and with no further ado, the next chapter!**

* * *

Lucy scowled and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited by the train station. It had been over an hour since team Natsu and the rest of Fallen Celestial had gone their separate ways in order to prepare for the mission and so far only Lucy, Abaddon, and Alva had arrived. Although the moment Alva had seen the train she ran off so fast that even Lucy hadn't been able to stop her, forcing Abaddon to go and retrieve here leaving Lucy alone once again.

"You'd think that the idea of going on a mission again with me would put a little spring in their steps, but I guess Fairy Tail always did do things at their own pace."

"And I'd say that you're a perfect example of that yourself, after all it did take you over seven years to even attempt to get you're revenge." A voice commented from right next to Lucy's ear, the person's breath tickling her skin.

Lucy screamed out in surprise and leapt away, turning in mid air in an attempt to see who had snuck up on her. The moment she did she was greeted by Lilith's hysterically laughing form, the older woman doubled over and holding her sides in laughter.

"Damn it Lilith! I was just about to attack you!" Lucy yelled with a pout on her face, a look that only increased Lilith's laughter.

"I know that's what makes it so funny!" Lilith choked out in between bouts of laughter and only increasing Lucy's annoyance.

"God…fine then, let's just all laugh at my expense." Lucy mumbled as she crossed her arms and turned her head away from the demon of lust.

"Awww don't be like that Luce…I'm just playing with you." Lilith cried as she threw her arms around Lucy's shoulders and pressed her ample bosom against her back, causing Lucy to blush slightly at the fact that they were now the center of attention.

"Alright, alright, just get off of me." Lucy sighed in defeat, Lilith jumping off her back and still chuckling to herself. "What's got you in such a good mood? I haven't seen you this happy since the time you brought home the son of a duke."

"Heh, heh…let's just say that the payment for my pact is going to be cashed in very soon." Lilith cryptically chuckled as she stared at Lucy with obvious glee.

Lucy raised an eyebrow to her companion's strange behavior and was about to question what exactly she meant but before she could Abaddon and Alva returned, the former held tightly by the collar of her shirt by the former.

"I have returned Milady, and I have brought our wayward dragon as well." Abaddon announced, not allowing Alva back down as she would likely flee again.

"A-ah, thanks Abaddon. I didn't want to have to run after her myself this early in the morning."

"You need not apologize Milady; it is part of our pact after all." Abaddon said with a flourish of his free hand before standing near a pillar, Alva still held in his other all the while.

It wasn't long after Abaddon's return that the others began to filter into the train station some rubbing sleep out of their eyes while others carried their luggage, Erza bringing her cart of everything under the sun as she always did. Strangely enough, Happy showed up by himself with no sign of his dragon slayer in any direction. Lucy questioned him on Natsu's absence but the Exceed only smiled creepily and said that Natsu was taking his time on packing and thinking about something obvious. Lucy couldn't help but narrow her eyes in suspicion when the blue cat flew off to speak to Lilith, the two giggling and speaking together in hushed tones.

And just when Lucy's patience was about to run dry, Natsu finally showed up with a strangely contemplative look on his face.

"Natsu? Something wrong?" Lucy questioned in a more annoyed tone than she would have normally used but after begin toyed with by both Lilith and Happy she was in no mood for Natsu's strange antics as well.

Natsu's head whipped up to stare at Lucy with wide eyed shock at Lucy, a look that Lucy had grown used to over the last few weeks, before turning his head away and staring up into space. "Nope, nothing, nada…why do you ask?" Natsu stuttered before rushing past Lucy and into the nearest train carriage.

 _Was…was Natsu blushing?_ Lucy couldn't help but think as she turned to stare curiously at the doorway that Natsu had vanished into. However, despite her impressive analytical powers, she couldn't think of any real reason for the fire dragon slayer to be avoiding her, well…except for his attempted murder thing, but other than that she couldn't think of anything.

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted when Wendy announced that she had finished casting Troia on Alva and that they were finally ready to depart. _Eh, I'll ask him about it when we get to the forest, I'm going to have to spend time around him now and I don't feel like dealing with another person treating me all awkwardly._

Lucy entered the train last to see her massive team had already taken their seats, Fallen Celestial minus Alva and herself on one side and Lucy's old team on the other. Alva was currently sprinting up and down the train, examining every little thing and pointing out every little thing like a little kid.

Lucy giggled at Alva's antics as she sat down next to Erza, the older woman already working on devouring a slice of cake but from where the slice emerged from Lucy had no idea. Gray was already missing his shirt and staring out the window looking bored out of his mind. Wendy, Charla, and Happy were talking quietly amongst themselves, Happy still wearing his strange grin and Wendy blushing slightly as she stole glances at Lucy.

Lucy took a spot next to Erza, Alva almost instantly taking the spot next to her with Natsu right on her heels. The two cousins glared at each other for a moment before Natsu silently relented and grabbed the seat right across from Lucy. Natsu continued his glaring match with Alva right up to the point that the train began to slowly advance down the tracks, causing Natsu to instantly doulble over with his face going as pale as a sheet.

"W-Wendy…" He managed to moan in between groans.

"Im sorry Natsu, but I had to use too much magic casting Troia on Miss Alva and I still need some magic for the mission." Wendy apologized with a pained smile.

"You don't need to apologize child; it's his fault for having such a pathetic weakness." Charla mercilessly declared.

"I will again Dragneel…you need more training." Alva smugly bragged as she snuggled up to Lucy's side, Lucy placing a hand on the half dragons head, causing Natsu to frown and turn his head away in a pout.

"So Lucy, got any idea what we're going into here? What exactly are these demon things like?" Gray asked seriously, his mind clearly going back to his not so great experiences with Deliora.

Lucy stopped petting Alva as her face fell into a serious frown. "Hard to say really, Zeref's demons don't really have any rhyme or reason to them that I've been able to determine. All I can really give you is that whatever this demon is it will either have a unique power or immense physical strength." Lucy shrugged then, her face relaxing slightly. "Well, it's not like it really matters. With all of us here the demon in that forest doesn't stand a chance."

Gray blinked in surprise for a second before smiling smugly, the rest of her team mirroring his expression. The group was silent for a moment before Erza placed her cake to the side and smiled at Lucy. "Speaking of things not standing a chance. How exactly did you become so strong in the seven years we were gone? I would have never in my wildest dreams imagined you to become so strong the last time we saw each other."

Lucy laughed at Erza's compliment, earning a strange gaze from the redhead. "Well training against one of the lords of sin can definitely help with putting on some muscle." Erza could see both Lucy and Alva tense slightly at the mention of the demon lord, both recalling the horrid memories of their training sessions. Erza looked over at the demon lord to see him smiling pleasantly, but otherwise not commenting on the two women's fear.

"I see…perhaps I shall ask for a duel when time permits." Erza mused out loud, already feeling the excitement at the prospect of a duel.

"Erza! Don't do it! You have far too much to live for." Lucy cried out as she grabbed the requip mages hands, a pleading look in her eyes, a look that was mirrored in Alva's eyes as well.

"Milady…is there perhaps something you wish to discuss with me?" Abaddon finally commented, his eyes not matching the smile that was one his face.

"Nope, not at all. I would rather live thank you very much." Lucy innocently said, causing the rest of Fallen Celestial to laugh out loud and the members of Fairy Tail to simply stare at them in confusion.

* * *

The rest of the train ride was mostly uneventful, with the sole distraction being Natsu's nausea and the occasional conversation. It was past noon when the group finally arrived at the nearest train station next to Entatos Forest and began the short trek to the place indicated in the council's message. As the forest slowly came into view Lucy was shocked by the sheer size of the trees that covered the surroundings. Before them was an ancient forest that dwarfed the forest that surrounded Magnolia. These trees were massive, each taller than even the guild, and even from a distance Lucy could hear their trunks creaking from the wind gusting against them.

Lucy's impression of the forest was only deepened as they moved to stand underneath the massive pines, the sun almost being blocked out entirely and leaving their group in a cool shade. The air was damp and cold, sending chills down their spines, and only added to the unsettling atmosphere that surrounded their group.

"Alright, let's begin the search. Roland, can I trust you to take care of this?" Lucy began to command, trying to draw everyone's attention from the dark atmosphere.

Roland nodded once before opening his tome and preparing his spell. However, after a moment of concentration, the man's face twisted into a frown and he turned once again to Lucy. "I apologize Lucy; it appears that whatever this demon is it is somehow interfering with my ability to search for it. Or perhaps it is something to do with this forest…interesting." Roland reported before beginning to mumble to himself.

Lucy sighed loudly before staring up into the forest. "Then I guess we do this the hard way. Abaddon, I want you and Erza to handle a search on the ground. Split our two teams up however you want but I want at least three teams covering the ground search. Alva and I shall move through the upper canopy and search from the sky. Roland, you shall handle the relaying of information between the four teams. Everyone got it?"

Fallen Celestial nodded in response to their orders and Gray and Erza both seemed to accept their roles in their mission. However, Natsu, Wendy, and the two Exceeds were staring at her curiously.

"Lucy, you sure that you don't want Wendy and me in the sky instead? With Happy and Charla we can easily move around up there." Natsu questioned as he gestured upwards.

Lucy smiled confidently as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, I doubt that either Happy or Charla could keep up with us unless they were flying at max speed the entire time. And seeing as we don't know if we'll find the demon today or not I want to make sure that everyone has some magic reserves left for fighting against this thing." Lucy smugly declared as she enjoyed the looks of shock on the two dragon slayers and two Exceeds faces. "Does anyone else have any questions?...no? Then we'll be off."

The moment Lucy finished talking Alva revealed her two draconic wings and took off into the air. Lucy herself focused her magic energy into her legs and lower body and kicked hard off the ground, flying through the air and with practiced dexterity landing on a branch and trailing after Alva. As she left the rest of her team in the dust, Lucy couldn't help but giggle to herself as she imagined the shocked looks that Fairy Tail were likely staring at her with as she speed off into the canopy.

* * *

The two girls moved through the trees with speed and precision that could only come from practice or in their case the movements that had been produced after fleeing from Abaddon's hellish training one too many times. Occasionally the two would stop and scour their surroundings for any sign of habitation or unusual magic but despite their practiced eyes they couldn't see nor detect any sign of the demon they were searching for.

As the day continued to drag on without any sign of their target Lucy was beginning to grow more and more frustrated. Even the ground teams were having almost no luck. Abaddon had claimed that he had detected a faint trace of demonic magic but upon further investigation no signs of life had been detected in the area.

"Gods, when I find this stupid demon I'm going to rip it into pieces!" Lucy screamed as she continued to bounce from branch to branch, the setting sun giving everything an orange glow.

"I second that notion." Alva passively murmured as she flew alongside, her face tight as she too was beginning to grow annoyed with their lack of progress.

The two continued to move in silence as they moved to a meet up spot that Roland had determined was the most defensible position in their immediate surroundings. With the sun beginning to get low in the sky the only choice was to call off the search for the day and to begin again tomorrow.

The two moved in silence, both focusing on either dodging branches or finding footholds as they moved through the trees. Before Alva moved in front of Lucy and stared back at her with a contemplative look on her face.

"Luce…can I ask you something?"

Lucy stared curiously at her companion for a second before focusing on the branches passing underneath her feet. "Sure you can, what is it?"

"…when are you going to hook up with Natsu?" she casually asked as she flew alongside.

Both Lucy's body and mind froze up at the unexpected question and instead of landing gracefully on the next branch like she intended she instead slammed full force into the branch, a very unladylike grunt forced out of her mouth as she struggled to hang on.

Alva instantly turned around and landed on the branch Lucy was currently dangling off of, her face covered in worry. "Luce! Are you alright?"

"I've defiantly been better." Lucy growled out as she finally managed to pull herself back up, her breaths coming quick and short as she tried to get her mind working normally again. For a moment the two were quiet as Lucy regained her breath, but the moment she did she turned her angry glare on the young half dragon causing Alva to flinch slightly. "Alright you…where exactly did you get the idea that I was in love with Natsu? And why in the name of the gods would you mention it right now?"

Alva simply stared at Lucy with a blank expression. "It seemed like the proper moment; after all I rarely have you to myself anymore. And are you sure you don't like him? Lilith mentioned to me that he was the last person to show up in your vision."

Lucy blinked slowly, shocked by both one of the longest sentences she had ever heard Alva use and by Lilith's blatant revelation of her own private thoughts. "Well…ya I guess I did, but that was seven years ago Alva. I don't think I could ever feel the same about him as I did back then." Lucy smiled sadly then as she placed a hand on Alva's head like she always did. "In the end, we'll probably just go back to how we were before that stormy night."

Alva narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips "Well…if that's what you want then ok…but if I were you I wouldn't underestimate the possessiveness of a dragon." She cryptically declared before taking off in the direction of the meeting spot once again.

Lucy stood on the branch for a moment as she tried to decipher Alva's warning, but in the end she just had to chase after her half dragon friend.

 _That's right…everything would be better if we just go back to how we were…too much has happened for us to go beyond what we were…right?_ Lucy asked to the world, receiving nothing but silence as an answer.


	26. Chapter 26

Natsu smiled as he watched Lucy struggle with a pole of the woman's tent, the pole somehow not long enough for its tarp despite the fact that they were sold in a set. He couldn't help but chuckle when she started screaming her frustrations and tossed the pole into the forest and stomping off to find something else to hold up their temporary bedroom.

Natsu couldn't believe how stupid he had been in the past. How could he have never noticed his feelings for Lucy before Happy mentioned it to him? Natsu always knew that he enjoyed spending time with Lucy; after all he did break into her home pretty often just to watch her crazy reactions.

But now it was more than just laughing at hearing her piercing screams of shock. Now he just enjoyed being close to her, the funny screams were just an added bonus. Natsu had finally started to notice how beautiful each of her actions seemed, from the satisfied smile on her face as she watched Erza and Alva chat to the frustrated pout that she had when she was trying to figure out the puzzle of the tent. Every little action she took seemed now seemed full of grace and beauty and Natsu could spend every waking moment watching her if she would just let him.

Natsu's smile grew wider as he stood to offer Lucy his help in searching for a new stick for the tent. But before he could another person approached Lucy, a person whose very presence caused Natsu to growl under his breath.

Abaddon, the smug asshole, had suddenly appeared besides Lucy and appeared to be conversing quietly with Lucy who was smiling back at him as she spoke quietly and followed him into the forest.

Natsu had always been put off by the arrogant demon, and the man's constant proximity to Lucy never helped things, but after what he had said earlier that day had downright made Natsu want to punch his face in.

Natsu's surroundings grew hotter and his growling louder as his mind inevitably went back to earlier that day, mere moments after Lucy had bounded away into the forest.

* * *

"Holy shit…how did Lucy move like that?" Gray asked in a daze as he stared up at the place where Lucy had disappeared into.

"Milady has trained nearly every day for seven years to reach her level of skill in order to defeat her foes. She is far beyond the level that she was at when she walked alongside the rest of you." Abaddon explained, unable to keep the pride from his voice.

"Mmmm…indeed, she is nothing like the celestial mage that was once on our team." Erza agreed.

Natsu was about to voice his agreement when exactly what Erza had said finally sunk in. _It's true…Luce's so different than how she used to be before that day…she's almost nothing like the girl I found in Hargeon._ Natsu thought, his shoulders dropping slightly as Erza began to give out her orders. _Does she…does she even care about me the same way that I do about her now? Do we even have a chance?_ Natsu couldn't help but think, depression threatening to overwhelm him.

"Natsu! Stop thinking for the first time in your life and fall in line!" Erza shouted angrily, causing Natsu to jump slightly and run forward not wanting to piss off the demon anymore than he already did. "You will be hunting our opponent along with Gray and Abaddon, is that understood?"

"A-aye ma'am!" Natsu squeaked out with an automatic salute and scurried over to where the stripper and the creepy demon were standing waiting for him.

As he approached the two men Natsu's eyes naturally narrowed. His anger at snow cone was natural, but Natsu could never understand why exactly the demon angered him so much. Perhaps it was because Igneel had always talked about demons with a hint of anger in his deep voice but he had also spoken about how cunning and strong they could be, warning Natsu to never underestimate one if he ever meet one.

"Let's get moving, Flame brain; we don't have all day to catch up to Lucy." Gray said as he turned to move off into the forest and discarded his shirt at the same time. Natsu moved to follow after his rival but before he could Abaddon stood in his way, the same arrogant smile still plastered to his smug face.

"What do you want?" Natsu growled loudly and threateningly, his mistrust in full view despite the fact that everyone had already begun to move out.

Abaddon however did not answer immediately, instead clasping his hands behind his back and strolling forward until he was face to face with Natsu.

Natsu was about to warn the demon to back off but before he could Abaddon leaned down until their heads were only a few inches apart and whispered a sentence that caused Natsu mind to seize up.

"No matter how much you desire it Dragneel you shall never have her, I will see to that." The demon quietly but confidently declared before standing straight up and following after Gray into the depths of the forest, leaving Natsu stunned and rooted to the spot.

* * *

Natsu growled again as he thought back to what the bastard had said, his anger causing his magic to flare around his body for a second.

 _I got to get out of here before I hurt someone._ Natsu managed to think through his anger as he turned and began to storm away from the camp.

"Natsu? Where exactly do you think you're going?" Erza questioned from the other side of the camp, drawing the attention of a few others of their group.

"Away from here." Natsu grumbled under his breath as he continued moving away from the camp. He could hear Erza calling him back and Gray making a snide comment but he couldn't care less.

Eventually, after walking ten minutes or so, he came upon a cliff that overlooked the surrounding forest. Erza and Lucy had decided to make their camp in this location as it provided a natural barricade in the form of a sheer cliff to their backs, making a flanking attack unlikely if the demon were to try anything funny while they were all asleep.

Natsu fell backwards with a plop and watched the sun slowly make its way towards the horizon. For a few seconds Natsu just enjoyed watching the largest fireball move through the sky, but almost predictably his mind went back to Lucy's smiling face and the man who had all but declared to be standing in Natsu's way'

"What the hell's with that bastard, I never mentioned to anyone what I feel for Lucy and he hasn't been around me as much as Happy to see through me like he did, so why…?" Natsu complained out loud to the setting sun. "I mean sure…he's Lucy's ally so he has every right to be angry with me for what happened back then but…and what the hell does he mean that he won't allow me to be with Lucy! What the hell is he supposed to be? Her Father?"

Natsu's anger hit a peak, his flames responding to his will and causing his body to burst into flames for a second, but the flames quickly faded as Natsu stared at the ground with a haunted expression on his face. What if…what if he really couldn't be with Lucy? he had already suffered through losing her once, could he go through all that again?

"Natsu? What are you doing out here?" A voice that Natsu could never mishear asked from behind him, a gentle curiosity laced in each word.

Natsu whipped his head around to see Lucy staring at him with a curious and slightly worried expression, a bundle of fire wood in her hands.

"L-Lucy! What are you doing here?" Natsu asked in a slight panic as he jumped to his feet, hoping that she hadn't heard any of his complaints.

"I was looking for some good logs for a fire, but you should always answer someone's question first Natsu, its good manners." Lucy commented and reprimanded her origin as a high class lady poking through for a second as she moved to stand next to Natsu and look out over the forest.

"Just…thinking." Natsu quietly answered as he sat back down, Lucy following him a second later.

The two were quiet for a moment, both simply enjoying both the view and each other's company, before Lucy finally turned slightly to look at Natsu. "You know, now that I think about it, we haven't really had a normal conversation since I got back and I don't know anything about what you were doing during my time away. Anything that you'd like to share now that we've got some time alone?" She asked her tone playful.

"Well…I can't really say we did anything different. I went on more missions trying to find Igneel and trained some more than I used to, but other than the fight with Grimoire Heart nothing in particular." Natsu nonchalantly answered before he remembered something important that HAD happened on the island. "Actually I've got something for you Luce!" He excitedly shouted as he reached under his scarf and removed the golden zodiac key he had kept hidden, Lucy's eyes going wide in shock as she recognized the key in his hands. "One of the Grimoire Heart guys had this on him when I beat the shit out of him and I took it off of him." Natsu bragged as he gently placed the key in Lucy's hands, keeping the fact that he had kept it in order to keep himself somewhat closer to Lucy.

"Natsu…this…this was one of my mother's keys." Lucy choked out, her voice thick with emotion, before leaning over faster than Natsu could react and embracing him in a tight hug. "Thank you…thank you so much Natsu!" she managed to say in between sobs.

Natsu nervously laughed as he placed one hand on Lucy's back, not really sure what to do with his hands or what he should do when confronted with a hysterically crying woman.

Eventually Lucy's sobs quieted and she removed herself from Natsu's embrace, Natsu frowning as she did so, and the two sat in a somewhat awkward silence. However, Natsu had something he had to ask his blonde teammate even if it ruined the good will he had just earned.

"Hey Lucy…why did you come back? I mean I know that the future you asked you to but was that the only reason?" Natsu asked and quickly added when he saw Lucy's face begin to fall into a frown as her mind inevitably went back to the fiery and ash filled night.

"Well…that was part of it." Lucy slowly answered, her eyes staring off into the distance with a sorrowful look on her face. "But…I've always loved everyone in Fairy Tail, it was my first real family after my mom died and…" Lucy said as she turned to stare at Natsu, a lonely smile on her beautiful face. "I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy going on missions with you and the others. I just somehow forgot until now how badly I wanted to go home."

Natsu's breath caught in his throat at Lucy's smiling face framed by the crimson light of the setting sun, her sublime beauty almost too much for him to handle. _Damn… I really do have it bad for her_. Natsu almost wanted to chuckle to himself he was so happy. But in the next moment the last bit of her sentence caused Natsu to frown. _She forgot what it was like to be with us? How did that happen?_

Natsu was about to ask her to elaborate but before he could the sound of trees shaking down in the forest before them drew both of their attentions. Natsu stared down at the forest to see something he couldn't quite understand. Below he could see a group of trees had apparently decided that they didn't particularly like the place that they had been rooted to and were currently in the process of moving to a new location.

"Holy…I never thought that I would see treants in real life!" Lucy yelled out in surprise, her eyes practically shinning in excitement.

"What's a treant?" Natsu asked as he watched the trees slowly move around their brethren, their trunks creaking loudly as they slowly moved away from the two.

"Ancient spirits of the earth itself, my mom used to tell me stories of them. They're super old and it's usually hard to communicate with them but apparently they can use unique spiritual magic. They're beautiful aren't they?"

Natsu however wasn't watching the trees anymore, as his gaze was glued to the ecstatic look on Lucy's face, the setting sun giving her an almost ethereal glow. "Ya…it really is." He quietly said and quickly turned away when Lucy turned her own head.

"Come on Natsu; let's go back to the others." Lucy said as she placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder for a second before walking off into the trees back in the direction of the camp.

Natsu turned to watch Lucy leave, enjoying the view more than he would be willing to admit to anyone else, and a sense of confidence swelling in his chest. To hell with what that demon bastard thought, he was going to make Lucy his whether or not that asshole wanted him to or not.

* * *

By the time that Lucy and Natsu returned to the camp the sun had finished setting, leaving only the campfire as the sole source of illumination in the camp. Both teams were sitting around the fire, eating meat that someone had speared during Lucy's and Natsu's conversation.

"Natsu, Lucy? Where exactly have you two been?" Erza asked in between bites of bear meat.

"Ohhhh? Where you two having a little lover's rendezvous out in the forest?" Lilith asked with a giggle.

Natsu froze up for a second at the lust demons words but Lucy simply shrugged them off. "Oh come on Lilith, there's nothing like that between us. We're just friends." She explained as she took a spot next to the fire and grabbed some bear meat for herself, Natsu following immediately after her as soon as he recovered from his shock.

"What's wrong Natsu? Couldn't work up the courage to make a move on her?" Gray taunted, Natsu instantly leaping over the fire in order to beat the ice mages face in.

The rest of the meal proceeded in much the same way, with Natsu trying to pick a fight with nearly everyone present but only Gray actually accepting which was promptly shut down by the giant of a man that Frederick was.

Eventually Lucy stood and clapped her hands once, drawing everyone's attention. "While this has been fun, we really should turn in for the night. After all, the hunt will only grow more tedious tomorrow and we need our rest."

"Lucy is right, let us retire immediately." Erza agreed, effectively silencing any arguments before they had even begun.

"Well then, who shall take first watch?" Roland asked, his tone clearly refusing the very role he had brought up. Natsu watched as the others all shifted their eyes away from each other in order to avoid being forced to stay awake.

Natsu stared at the others for a second before his gaze was inevitably drawn to Lucy who was also looking less than thrilled about the prospect of being the first on night duty. _What better way to show my dependability then to volunteer for this?_ Natsu thought with a confident nod.

However, before he could even say a single word, Alva stood up. "I'll take first watch, I'm not tired anyway." She calmly declared, the others sighing in relief that someone had taken up the duty.

Natsu narrowed his eyes at the half dragon as the girl spoke to Lucy in hushed tones. He wasn't quite sure what he thought about his new found cousin and he wasn't exactly happy about the fact that she had spent time with his pop, but Natsu couldn't deny the girls strength. Every time that Natsu had challenged her to a fight not only had she accepted each duel instantly but had absolutely thrashed him. Her ability to devour his flames while releasing those creepy green flames of her own that he couldn't eat made her almost impossible for Natsu to fight on par with her, not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

Rising to his feet with a grumble, Natsu returned to the men's tent and took his place at the side of the tent. He leaned against one of the walls as he watched the demon bastard take his own place, the man's eyes meeting Natsu's own for a second and his grin turning crueler for a second before he looked away. Natsu growled under his breath as the man lay down for the night, too tired to bother with another pissing contest this late in night.

However, Natsu's night was far from over. Natsu couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours when a strange noise brought him out of his sleep. Snaping his head up and staring at the others, Natsu noticed that no one else seemed to have noticed the strange noise, a noise that almost sounded like muffled crying. Quietly extracting himself from the mass of sleeping men, Natsu slowly made his way out of the tent, his fists at the ready in case a threat was nearby.

But when Natsu exited the tent rather than a threat he was met with a sight that caused his chest to tighten. Alva sat near the dying embers of the fire, her shoulders hunched and her face a mask of pain and her hands tightly holding onto a person, a person who turned out to be a whimpering Lucy.

Natsu was about to scream out and ask what was wrong when he noticed that Lucy's eyes lids were still tightly shut, the eyes underneath darting trying to see something that only she could see. Her skin was pale and covered in sweat, almost as if she was fighting off a bad cold. An occasional whimper would escape her mouth, the sound of her pain causing Natsu's heart to accelerate more than the prospect of a good fight.

Natsu quietly moved closer to the two women, intending to find out what was going on, but unfortunately fate had other plans. When he was only a few steps away a twig under his foot snapped loudly, the sound like shattering glass in the dead of the night.

Alva's head whipped around, her draconic pupils glaring at Natsu despite the bad light. "Go back to bed Dragneel, this doesn't concern you." The half dragon ordered, channeling Erza in her tone.

Natsu however was having none of it, taking another step forward and narrowing his own eyes in response. "Absolutely not. Luce's my partner and I won't leave if she's in pain."

Alva's eyes narrowed even more in response but she said nothing, the only sound being the occasional whimper from Lucy, before Alva sighed and turned her head back to Luce. For a second Natsu did nothing, not wanting to aggravate Alva any more than he already had, but when Alva said nothing more Natsu took that as a cue that he was allowed to approach.

Natsu quickly approached and kneeled down next to the two, his face filled with concern as Lucy turned uncomfortably in Alva's arms. "What's wrong with her? Is this normal?" Natsu asked with panic in his voice.

"…it's the nightmares again." Alva murmured quietly, her eyes filled with an emotion that Natsu couldn't quiet identify.

"Nightmares?" Natsu repeated as he stared down at Lucy.

"They started after the battle at Crocus. Almost every night she has a nightmare that causes her to react like this." Alva explained as she nodded her head down at Lucy. "I…I don't know what to do. They seem to be getting worse. I don't want Luce to suffer."

Natsu blinked in surprise, at both Alva's use of Lucy's nickname and the fact that Lucy sounded like she was about to cry. "Can I see her for a second?" Natsu asked quietly, his eyes never leaving Lucy.

Alva was silent for a moment before gently handing Lucy over to Natsu, her eyes never leaving Lucy's shuddering form.

Natsu wasn't sure what exactly to do, he had never helped anyone try to stave off nightmares, so all he could do was hold her tight and hope that his presence would help keep her fears at bay. "Come on Luce, you're stronger than some stupid nightmares." Natsu murmured quietly a smile on his face.

For a few seconds nothing changed, Lucy still squirmed and cried quietly in Natsu's arms, but slowly her skin returned to its healthy shade and her whimpers slowly stopped, leaving her with just the gentle breathing of someone deep in their sleep. Natsu leaned in to check if she was still asleep and Lucy reached out to grab Natsu's vest, a content smile on her face as she held the fabric.

"Huh…OK then, you can take the next shift." Alva said with a nod of her head and stood back up, making her way to the tent before Natsu could even utter a sound.

Natsu sighed as he watched Alva walk into the tent, leaving him alone with the now peacefully sleeping Lucy. "Oh well, at least I get to spend the night with Luce again." He said as he stared back down at his partner. Hoping that the night the two were sharing would somehow be longer than any night in Natsu's life.

 **Little Heavy on the NaLu this chapter but i wanted to give the two of them some scenes of peace and quiet before shit starts to hit the fan again. remeber everyone that i have a spinoff of this story called Fallen Dragon thats also about to get to its good chapters so give it a try if your looking for another thing to read.**

 **looking forward to next time**


	27. Chapter 27

Lucy was uncomfortable, not exactly something that was rare in her life but considering that she had been feeling the opposite when she went to sleep it was odd to feel it when she was waking up.

Groaning as she slowly opened her eyes, Lucy was surprised to see the early morning light of the sun.

 _Wait what? How did I get outside of the tent?_ Lucy slowly thought before noticing that her pillow was both much hotter than it should be and shaped completely differently than she remembered. Lucy turned her head, intending to discover the source of her discomfort, and was met with the sight of a man's well toned abs.

"…huh?" Lucy muttered unintelligently before slowly staring upwards to see something that caused her mind to freeze instantly.

Natsu's sleeping face, his head tilted slightly to the side, was hovering right over Lucy's head. It took Lucy only another second to realize that her head was currently resting on the dragon slayers lap.

Lucy started to squeal loudly before covering her mouth, her face going from pink to red faster than it ever had before.

 _Wha…how…what the hell is Natsu doing here?_ Lucy panicky thought as she leapt from the fire dragon slayers lap, Natsu's mouth forming a frown the moment she left his lap.

Lucy's mind raced as she tried to figure out what had happened. She definitely remembered going to bed last night in the center of the woman's tent. She could vaguely recall having a dream involving lots of fire and pain, but at some point the dream disappeared leaving only a warm pleasant feeling in its place.

"But how did I get outside?" Lucy questioned to herself quietly in order not to wake the sleeping dragon slayer.

"That would be because I brought you out here when you started to have a nightmare." Alva answered, in a tone like she was simply talking about the weather, from behind Lucy.

Lucy jumped and felt almost like a ball of ice had settled in the pit of her stomach as she turned slowly around to see Alva tending a new fire and cooking up some delicious smelling bacon.

"A-Alva…how long have you been there?" Lucy asked with a nervous smile, hoping beyond hope that Alva had somehow just arrived.

However Alva dashed her hopes almost instantly. "Since I handed you over to Natsu last night when you started to have another nightmare." She answered as she poked the firewood with a stick, trying to stoke the flames.

Lucy groaned loudly as she buried her face in her hands to try to hide her embarrassment. Not twenty four hours ago she had been discussing how she no longer loved Natsu so Alva decided to have her sleep in said pink haired man's lap? Was she trying to get her resolve to crumble?

But before Lucy could scream at her for letting Natsu handle her the another part of Alva's explanation caused her to pause, her hands falling from her face and her eyes turning curiously to Alva once again.

"Wait "another nightmare"? How many of these nightmares have I been having?" Lucy asked curiously, not able to recall any other nights of restless sleep other than last night.

Alva stopped tending to the fire for a moment to look at Lucy, her eyes filled with concern. "Ever since that night…you've been tossing and turning in your sleep more and more." Alva then stood up and moved to stand right in front of Lucy, her hands grabbing Lucy's own in a tight grip. "Luce…are you alright? I know the others might not have noticed but you're much paler than you used to be and I can see the circles under your eyes."

Lucy smiled sadly as she patted Alva on the head. She knew what Alva was talking about but she couldn't bring herself to share with the young half dragon what Abaddon had shared with her shortly after the events at Crocus. She couldn't do that to her family.

Lucy…was dying.

Abaddon had told her that due to the emotional strain that she had been placed under during the horrible events of that night that her heart was close to giving out. Abaddon had explained that the spell that Abaddon had used to stop her weakened heart had cracked under the pressure and now it was slowly beginning to disintegrate. And when the spell finally failed…her heart would beat one final time.

Lucy had been shocked at first by the pride demon's declaration but surprisingly she never once doubted his words. Somehow she could feel it, a feeling almost akin to tightness around her heart.

Lucy knew that the blade held over her neck was slowly descending, and she was never going to speak of it with anyone. If not even a dragon's heart could save her then there was nothing Fairy Tail or Fallen Celestial could do to save her and she would never place that burden on their shoulders.

No, she would fade away quietly. Not with tears and hugs, but with silence.

"I'm fine Alva, just dealing with some baggage I got after everything that happened that night." Lucy lied with a smile on her face, feeling bad for misleading Alva but seeing no other alternative.

Alva frowned slightly for a second, clearly not fully believing Lucy's explanation, but nodded her head anyway.

Lucy wanted to sigh in relief that the subject had been dropped, but managed to keep a straight face despite Alva's slight glare. "A-anyway, why was Natsu up last night? I thought you were the one who was on watch last night?"

"I was…he woke up when he heard you moaning in your sleep and held you until your nightmares subsided." Alva explained as she returned to tending to their breakfast.

Lucy blinked owlishly as she turned to stare at Natsu. Had Natsu been the reason that her nightmare disappeared? She understood just how uncomfortable it could be trying to sleep with someone on your lap, as Lucy had done the same thing for Alva plenty of nights.

Lucy smiled warmly as Natsu and walked forward with the intent of gently waking him up. But before she could even reach out to grab his shoulder the sound of someone opening a tent flap caused Lucy to jump backwards.

Erza was standing there, already wearing her traditional armor but still wiping sleep from her eyes.

"Ah Lucy, Alva, good to see others are able wake themselves so early in the morning." The red head commented with a satisfied nod before noticing Natsu still snoozing. "And of course here's Natsu, unable to even follow the simple instruction of sleeping in a tent." She commented in a disappointed tone before walking over to the dragon slayer and smacking him on the head. "Natsu you fool! Why would you sleep out here when we spent so much time setting up tents?" she chastised angrily, Natsu jumping up and rubbing his head.

"What the hell Erza! I didn't do anything wrong. I was out here because of…" Natsu started to say before finally noticing that Lucy was no longer resting on his lap. His eyes quickly jumped back up to look for Lucy, finding her staring at him with a warm smile and a pinkish hue to her cheeks that couldn't be just explained by the early morning chill.

"Eh…ah…I just got up early and fell asleep again alright? Lay off will ya?" Natsu said dismissively, instantly causing Erza to smack him once again on the head.

It was at that point that others began to emerge from the two tents, one of the first being Frederick.

"Miss Alva, I believe that breakfast was meant to be my responsibility. Do you intend to infringe upon my honor?"

"Only you would care about the honor of cooking a meal." Alva commented with an exasperated sigh, causing Lucy to giggle quietly and Frederick to frown.

"But of course! Any knight would be proud to cook for their master!"

Lucy watched as the two continued to argue about who deserved the right to cook Lucy's breakfast, Frederick not willing to give up the honor and Alva simply letting a little of her dragon stubbornness out, when she noticed Abaddon walking into their campsite with a serious frown upon his face.

"Abaddon? What's wrong? And when exactly did you get up?" Lucy questioned, drawing everyone's attention to the pride demon.

"I have been conscious for quite awhile Milady. But that is neither important nor relevant to our current conversation." The man announced with a serious face. "I have discovered the location of our target and I'm afraid to say that there is more than a single adversary that we must subdue. We appear to have stumbled upon quite the malicious little gathering."

Lucy narrowed her eyes as she studied the ruins that Abaddon had discovered earlier in the morning. After quickly waking up the remaining members of their party and wolfing down their breakfast so fast that Lucy could barely taste the bacon they then moved to the location that Abaddon had indicated.

As Lucy watched the decrepit ruins below she could see no obvious signs of beings living within but after so many years of living around beings such of darkness Lucy was keenly aware of how to identify the signatures of demon infestation. As such she could tell that at least five or six Etherious hiding down below.

"Luce…there's quite a few down there." Alva commented in a quiet and deadly tone, her own battle senses detecting the considerable strength down below.

"I'm aware." Lucy replied with a frown. The Etherious had never gathered in such numbers, despite the fact that Fallen Celestial had been hunting them for years. Did this mean that the demons were finally beginning to treat their group as a threat? Or was it perhaps something even worse going on?

"Milady, what are your orders?" Abaddon asked, brining Lucy out of her thoughts.

Lucy studied the faces that surrounded her, seeing that each and every person present wore serious expressions, even little Wendy looked ready to take on who ever she had to.

Lucy took a deep breath before beginning to dish out her instructions. "Alright then, Frederick and Roland, I want you three to remain a good distance away from the ruins and at the ready to intercept any demons that try to make a run for it. Wendy, Charla, and Happy; you two stay with them in case we need any medical treatment. Of course you can attack at your discursion but Frederick and Roland will see to your safety."

"Alright Lucy." Wendy said with serious expression, Charla silently mouthing thank you to the fact that Lucy had chosen to keep the young dragon slayer out of harm's way.

"Aye!" Happy shouted as he lazily hovered over the group

"Erza, Gray, Lilith, and Natsu; I want you three to maneuver around the back of the building and wait for Alva, Abaddon, and myself to attack from the front. Once you start to hear things explode you four charge in from the back and we'll trap them in a pincer attack."

Three of the mages in question nodded their heads in acknowledgment of Lucy's orders, but one mage frowned instead.

"No way Luce! I'm coming with you." Natsu declared, his eyes quickly shifting to Abaddon for a second before settling back on Lucy.

Erza frowned and placed an armored fist on Natsu's shoulder. "Natsu, it is quite inappropriate to question the decisions of the leader."

"No, its fine Erza…Natsu, you can come with us on the frontal team but don't go rushing in immediately. Etherious demons tend to have unique abilities and can be quite tenacious. If you're going to come in through the front with us then you need to hold back and wait until Alva, Abaddon, and myself figure out what exactly they can do alright?" Lucy commanded in a no nonsense tone.

"Aye ma'am, you can count on me!" Natsu replied with a military salute and a grin that Lucy couldn't help but return.

However, that happy grin was twisted into a more predatory smile as she turned back to glare at the decrepit ruins. "Well then everyone…let's begin the hunt."

The moment Lucy finished the members of Fallen Celestial sprung into action, the members of Team Natsu right on their heels. Lucy and her group moved quickly and quietly till they were right outside the old wooden doors.

"Alva, would you mind knocking for me?" Lucy asked in an innocent tone that did not match with the situation.

Alva did not bother to nod her head in confirmation and instead simply charged ahead, her flames coiling around her body transforming her into a literal fireball. The half dragon didn't bother to slow down, slamming into the doors with enough force for them to simply shatter into pieces the moment she touched them.

Lucy and the others moved in right behind the now half dragonfied Alva to see four strange looking creatures glaring back at them. Three of the creatures looked just as Lucy expected them to, with strange almost insect like armor covering their bodies, but the fourth was what drew Lucy's attention. The final demon looked almost human like blonde hair and pale skin only signaling that he had spent too much time indoors. But other parts of his body could never be considered human. The man's body was almost completely black in spots, almost like they had been charred in a horrible fire, and twisted into grotesque shapes that barely resembled human limbs.

Lucy only got a brief glimpse of the strange demon before the other three roared in anger and charged forward, drawing her attention back to the battle. Before Lucy could even confirm the abilities of their curses Alva charged forward, either completely undisturbed by their possible powers or was simply drunk on the excitement of facing demons again.

Lucy however had no time to worry about the unfortunate demon Alva had picked as another one was quickly closing in on Lucy herself. Lucy narrowed her eyes as she pulled Loke's key from her ring, swiping it through the air leaving a line of golden stardust in its wake.

"Open: Gate of the Lion. Leo!" Lucy shouted, fully expecting the lion spirit to appear with one of his cheesy lines.

But no pickup lines were heard, as Lucy felt something block her magic and prevented the spirit from appearing. Lucy frowned as she drew Fleuve d'étoiles and waited for the demon to get into her range. When facing off against Etherious they would generally have two types of abilities; the ability to affect their opponent or to enhance themselves. The one that was on approach clearly fitting into the former category as it had apparently blocked Lucy's magic from activating.

"What's wrong human? Cant summon your precious magic can you?" The demon taunted as it continued to approach. "My curse blocks a mages connection to their magical vessel. You shall be helpless before me!"

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." Lucy quietly refuted as she took a step back and bent her knees in preparation. Lucy waited until the demon was practically right on top of her before lashing out with Fleuve d'étoiles and wrapping the whip around one of the demons legs and pulling, causing the demon to stumble forward. Lucy waited until the demons head was properly lined up with her leg before delivering a Lucy kick that sent the demon spinning through the air.

"That one's for you Natsu! He negates magic so just beat the shit out of him." Lucy called out, watching with a smile as Natsu leapt into the air and smacked the demon back down to earth.

"Leave it to me! I'm fired up now!" he shouted as he pummeled the demon, clearly not disturbed about the fact that his fists weren't covered in flames.

Lucy looked through the room to see that Abaddon had cornered the strange shadowy demon, both their faces masks of concentration, but Abaddon clearly held the advantage in both magical and physical strength. This left only a single demon, a creature that looked like a cross between a snake and a person that was currently charging at Lucy.

"Die little human!" It hissed as it spit out a glob of green goo, something Lucy was fairly certain was acid.

Lucy quickly held out her right arm, black smoke trailing off of her Fairy Tail mark. "Demon of Gluttony; come forth and obey our pact!"

A cloud of black smoke gathered in front of Lucy with the ball of slime entering it a second later. However, instead of passing through and possibly melting Lucy, there was instead the sound of something swallowing from within the smoke. When the smoke finally cleared, a massive creature that appeared to be nothing more than a massive mouth on legs was standing in its place.

"Are you hungry demon? Because I have a nice snack for you here." Lucy innocently asked the demon as she gestured to the snake demon.

The gluttony demon didn't speak, as its kind was unable to, but Lucy could still feel its delight at being allowed to feast. Lucy turned away, knowing full well what the sound of ripping flesh and the snapping of bone meant for the poor demon behind her.

"Lucy!" Erza called out as she briskly jogged up to Lucy, Gray and Lilith dragging what appeared to be a ball of tentacles behind them. "One of the demons managed to get passed us while we were dealing with this abdominal creature. Shall we pursue it?"

"No need Erza, I had the others wait outside for that exact reason." Lucy said with a smile, the sound of Natsu sending the demon flying into the wall, knowing that their fight was finished.

Wendy watched in awe as two of Lucy's companions toyed with what she could only describe as a mixture of a person and a spider. The creature had appeared only a few seconds after Lucy and the others entered the spider person shot out of the top of the ruins and attempted to escape. However, before it could even get out of eyeshot it was slammed into the ground by a gravity spell cast by Roland and continuously pummeled by Roland.

Wendy had wanted to move in and assist the two older mages, but before she could even get off a single enhancement or one of her own attacks the two mages managed to suppress the creepy monster.

 _Are all of Lucy's companions this strong?_ Wendy thought in shock as the two men bound the demon with magic suppressing cuffs, the creature cursing and screaming all the while.

"Holy molly…thank goodness Lucy decided not to go after us anymore." Happy nervously gulped, Wendy nodding her head in agreement.

"Oh? Did you guys finish out here too?" impressive as always you two." Wendy heard Lucy say from the ruins. Wendy turning to see the rest of their two teams now walking out of the building, the demon's being dragged behind like they were nothing more than luggage.

"Of course Miss Lucy, it is for this reason that we have accompanied you till this day." Frederick answered with a bow.

Lucy nodded and turned to Abaddon, her face becoming serious once again. "But what happened back there Abaddon? You know better than to eliminate a demon that we can still interrogate. Especially one that had such a unique appearance."

Wendy could see the scary demon frown at Lucy's question, his back hunched in a bow. "I apologize Milady, but the creature was far stronger than I expected and I was forced to eliminate it."

Wendy could see Lucy's eyes narrow slightly at Abaddon's answer but she didn't push any further than that. "Oh well no real loss…well then would you mind returning our "Guests" here to the guild hall? I have quite a few questions I want to ask them."

"Of course Milady, I would be happy to." And before anyone could say anything else the demon snapped his fingers, his shadow growing thicker and darker and causing the captured demons to sink into his shadow. "Well then Milady, until next time." Abaddon said with a bow, his own body sinking into the shadows.

"Lucy...don't take this the wrong way, but that guy is really creepy." Happy commented from Natsu's side.

Wendy could see Lucy give the blue exceed a knowing smile. "Trust me Happy you don't know the half of it. But anyway, I think I've had enough of this forest, what do you say we head home?"


	28. Chapter 28

Lucy smiled as she watched their oversized group make their way through the streets of Magnolia on their way to the Guild hall. The train ride back had been mostly uneventful, the only exception being when Wendy's Troia spell had run out halfway back and rather than risk another second in the train Alva had instead chosen to literately break out of the cabin. Instead the half dragon had simply flown alongside the train carriage, much to the shock of the other passengers.

The job had been completed without a hitch, the reward being split amongst the members of team Natsu excluding Lucy. the others had been adamant about Lucy and everyone taking their own share but as she and the rest of her team had more than enough money saved up from their previous demon hunts they refused. And now that they were finally off the train they were currently headed back home to report to Mira and the Master that the job had been completed.

"Home…" Lucy murmured quietly to herself as a smile crept onto her face. In the seven years that Lucy had been traveling around seeking strength and answers she had never once had a place that she could comfortably call her home. Sure, she did have the guild hall that they had built as a base of operations but that's all it was to Lucy, a place to plan for their next mission, but going back to Fairy Tail once again just made her want to drop all the walls she had put up around her emotions and relax for once, or relax as much as she could in a guild like Fairy Tail.

It was at that moment that Erza, completely oblivious to the blonde's happy musings, turned to speak to her. "So now that you have captured these creatures Lucy what are your plans with them? Surely it cannot be a wise decision to try to keep them contained for long."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that Erza, with Abaddon guarding them they couldn't make so much as a squeak without him knowing. And I'm not planning to do anything to them myself; I'll leave that in Abaddon's capable hands." Lucy said, noticing the shudders from the other Fallen Celestial members but choosing to ignore it.

"Then does that mean that we can go on another job when we get back? I didn't get much action during that fight and I'm itching for another fight." Natsu asked excitedly, his childish grin once again present on his face as he stared back at Lucy.

"I guess so, just so long as Alva's up for it." Lucy answered with a shrug before gesturing to the red headed half dragon that was currently walking very close to Lucy, so close in fact that they kept bumping shoulders as the moved.

Lucy could see Natsu glare at Alva and knew that she was returning the gesture right back. "What? Why? It's not like she's your mother or something, why do you need her permission?"

Lucy scowled slightly at Natsu's implied meaning, but otherwise didn't raise her voice as she answered. "I don't need her permission Natsu, but since she follows me almost everywhere I go it's only right to ask her too."

"…Fool." Was all Alva said but the smirk on her face clearly conveyed a message of gloating to everyone present, causing Natsu to growl at her and lunge which was something Alva was more than happy to return.

Despite the fact that the two fire mages were trying to rip each other's throats out the group still managed to make their way to the large wooden doors that marked the entrance to the Fairy Tail guild hall, hearing the usual rowdiness that one would expect from Fairy Tail.

Pushing open the doors, Lucy smiled as she casually walked into the guild. "We're back everyone!"

"Hey! I'm the one who's supposed to say that!" Natsu shouted his fight with Alva instantly forgotten.

Lucy, along with most of the guild, laughed at Natsu for a second before turning to the bar to see Mira and the Master smiling at their group. Even Laxus, who would normally just be sitting on the second floor with the rest of the Thunder Legion, was leaning against the bar with his eyes closed almost as if he was waiting for something.

"Hello Mira, Master, we completed the job without any issues." Lucy said as she approached the bar.

"Good work my dear; it's nice to see your team completing jobs without destroying half a town." The Master commented with a chuckle before taking a sip of whatever alcohol was in his mug.

"Yes welcome back Lucy, we have some good news for you." Mira commented with a knowing smile as she marked the job as completed in the guilds register.

"Really? That's…good, what exactly is it?" Lucy started to reply before noticing the almost prankster like grins that the two had, causing Lucy's eyes to narrow in suspicion.

Mira's smile remained as she stared back at Lucy. "Did Natsu or any of the others ever mention the wager we had for the Grand Magic Games?" She asked, Lucy shaking her head in response. "Well, the Master declared that whatever team won would get to ask the losing team to do whatever they want for a day."

Oh, that's…cool." Lucy murmured the feeling of danger growing worse and worse as she examined the barmaid's smile. "But didn't the two Fairy Tail teams get combined into one? How will you choose which one is the winner?"

The Master chuckled. "Oh not to worry, after all your team and you just so happened to give up the fight before the end…didn't you."

"Wait, what?!...but where weren't even part of Fairy Tail back then!" Lucy shouted out, the smirks on the two's faces now making perfect sense.

Mira's smile didn't falter at Lucy's cries, the rest of the guild now looking at the three of them. "But didn't you have our guild mark on your hand Lucy? Wouldn't that still make you a member of Fairy Tail and therefore a Fairy Tail team?"

Lucy was about to argue against it, knowing full well what would come from having to listen to the orders of anyone in Fairy Tail for a day, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, Lucy saw Lilith standing behind her, a defeated look on her face and her hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Just give it up Little Lucy, if there's one thing I've learned about this place it's that you don't challenge these two when they have their minds set on something." The demon declared as she gestured to the Master and Mira, the two mages in question never ceasing to smile.

Lucy regarded the three for a second before sighing, her hand rubbing her temple. "Fine…I guess we lost…"

Lucy watched as Laxus exchanged a glance with his grandfather before walking up and placing his hand on Lilith's shoulder. "Well then, I guess I'll take this one for the day, have fun Blondie." He commented before beginning to drag the lust demon away.

While very curious about what the older dragon slayer was referring to, Lucy still made sure to catch Lilith's eye and letting her know that she wouldn't stand for Lilith doing to Laxus what she normally did to the poor young men she dragged around. And while Lucy could see the disappointment in the older woman's face, Lilith still nodded back.

"Gee hee…so we get to pick one for ourselves Old man?" Gajeel questioned as he approached, his usual arrogant tone present.

"That's correct Gajeel."

"Well then, I'm taking the little dragon chick." Gajeel declared as he lifted Alva by the back of her shirt and began to walk off. "From what I've seen you're quite the little fighter and I'm itching for a good match."

"Don't hurt him too bad Alva!" Lucy shouted to the two as they made their way outside the guild hall, Alva's predatory instincts causing her to grin savagery.

It was at that moment that Natsu seemed to realize what was going on as he practically leapt to stand in front of Lucy. "Is that true Gramps?! Then I call Lucy for the day!" Natsu turned to face Lucy then, an arrogant smile on his face. "Well then Lucy, my first order of the day is for you to fight me!"

Lucy sighed loudly, having fully expected Natsu to leap at the chance for another fight but still not really wanting to duke it out so early in the day. "Seriously Natsu? You only managed to land a single hit on me last time, what makes you think that this time is going to be very different?"

"I'm stronger now than I was back then, and I was going easy on you of course!" Natsu cockily declared as he slammed his fists together, wisps of flames flying off his knuckles at the impact.

Lucy was about to continue to argue against dueling when she noticed that nearly the entire guild was watching them now, some even going up to Cana and betting on the outcome. _Well…I guess I can play with Natsu for a while._ Lucy decided as she cracked her knuckles and smiled back at the dragon slayer.

"Alright then Natsu, but if we're going to do this we're going to do this outside. I don't want to be the one responsible for destroying the guild hall." Lucy said with a smug smile of her own and began to casually walk out the front door, the rest of the guild following shortly after.

* * *

Lucy and Natsu continued to walk away from the guild until they reached a hill east Magnolia. As the rest of their guild mates began to circle around them, Lucy smiled at Natsu and manifested her celestial sword, the thin blade of dark matter appearing in her hand.

Lucy could see Natsu's eyebrows twitch for a second before he lowered his stance. "You're not going to call out to your spirits Lucy? I've got no problem taking on you and whatever else you want to throw at me." He challenged as fire began to wrap around his limbs.

Lucy, not willing to give in to his taunt, simply chuckled as she pointed the blade casually at Natsu. "I only call out to demons and my spirits if the opponents strong enough, and frankly Natsu you don't fit the bill."

Lucy couldn't help but smile as Natsu reacted to her own taut, his eyes narrowing and his flames flaring slightly. "Oh, you're so going to eat those words Lucy…"

The two regarded each other in silence then as Mira walked to the front of the crowd that surrounded them. "Are you two ready?...then let's begin!" She shouted.

Lucy watched as Natsu lunged forward, his fists covered in flames. She could tell from his gaze that he expected Lucy to jump backwards, as that's how she would have reacted seven years ago, but rather than meet their expectations she instead moved just as Natsu did, her body low to the ground and her blade at the ready.

As the two closed in on each other Lucy could see Natsu's eyes widen slightly in surprise but to his credit he didn't hesitate to lash out with his fists. However, for someone who had fought against the pinnacle of demonic strength, the speed of Natsu's fists was painfully slow and Lucy easily twisted her body out of the way of his blow.

The moment that Natsu's fist harmlessly passed by Lucy's body Lucy brought her own weapon to bare, the shadowy blade cutting through the air and leaving a thin gash on the pink haired boy's cheek.

Natsu hissed in pain but didn't slow down, his left leg sweeping out and knocking Lucy off balance. As Lucy began to fall, Natsu grabbed her arm and flung her over his head, sending Lucy spinning through the air.

However, the celestial mage wasn't the least bit disturbed by the fact that she was currently flying through the air, as she simply righter herself and landed about ten feet away and her magic gathering in the hand that wasn't holding the blade while at the same time Natsu was gathering magic into his mouth.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!** "

" **Celestial Strike: Beam!** "

The two mages shouted out, their respective attacks flying directly at each other. However, it was quite clear that Lucy's attack held more strength behind it as it began to break through Natsu's flames.

The fire dragon slayer yelped in surprise as he dropped to the ground as Lucy's beam traveled through the air that he had been occupying moments ago before dissipating into the air.

"Ok, I admit it Luce…you might be a little stronger than you were seven years ago." Natsu commented with a grin. "But I'm not gonna lose to you! **Lightning Fire Dragon Mode!"** He shouted his flames exploding around his body now with electricity arching across his form.

Lucy instantly took a step back, having no idea what Natsu had just done but could feel his magic levels increasing drastically. _What the hell is this? How come Natsu can use lighting now?_ Lucy thought in a slight panic as she once again gathered magic into her left hand.

" **Celestial Strike: Rain!** " she shouted, the orb of dark matter in her hand shattering and sending bolts of magic directly at Natsu. However Natsu's new power seemed to have increased his speed as well, as he was able to dodge out of the way of Lucy's attack and was quickly closing the distance between the two of them.

Lucy couldn't help but smile as she drew Loke's key from her side, despite the distance that had formed between them she was enjoying this fight more than she would have first thought she would. It was no wonder Natsu was always challenging everyone the first chance he got.

* * *

Lilith's casually turned her head to stare through the wall of the guild in the direction that she felt Lucy's magic swell, a smile on her perfect face. After seven long years of moping around Lucy was finally truly happy again, and that was more than enough reason for Lilith to fight to keep things as they were.

"Something wrong?" The blonde hottie, Laxus if Lilith remembered correctly, questioned from the wall he was leaning against.

"Oh, nothing really. Just little Lucy enjoying herself." Lilith commented with a giggle before turning back to Laxus. "Well then, Mr. Tall, blonde, and brooding, what did you want with little old me? A day of me teaching you about the reason I'm known as the Demon Queen of Lust?" She asked as she walked up to the taller man and ran a finger across his chest, enjoying the feeling of the muscles beneath his shirt.

"I'm afraid I asked him to bring you here." The solemn voice of the guild master echoed from behind Lilith, causing her desire to fade away almost instantly.

Frowning slightly, Lilith turned to see exactly who she was expecting to. "Ah, if it isn't the Master of Fairy Tail and the astral projection, what can I do for you?" She asked to the short man and the spatial warping that stood just off to the side.

Lilith couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the shocked look on the old man's face. "You are aware of the first master's presence without a guild mark?"

"Oh please, I am one of the seven lords of sin and a mage who manipulates reality through illusions, detecting an astral projection is Childs play for me." Lilith commented, "Although I admit that I can't hear whatever it is that is standing behind you." Lilith's frowned then, her face serious for the first time in years. "Well then, what can I do for you three? Surely you didn't separate me from Lucy just to find out if I can see this spirit?"

Lilith watched as The Fairy Tail Master closed his eyes in thought for a moment before staring at her with an equally serious expression. "Tell me…what exactly do you know about Abaddon? What is his intent in this realm and what does he plan to do to Lucy?"

* * *

Mard Geer narrowed his eyes as the strange demon approached his throne and kneeled in respect. The strange shadowy humanlike creature had shown up a little over a week ago at their base with a strange proposition, that he and his followers would travel around the world and awaken Mard Geer's fellow Etherious from their tomes.

Of course he hadn't believed the creature at first, but as he could find no real reason to refuse the creature he allowed it to perform its tasks. After all, if it failed even once he could simply destroy it.

But Mard Geer never got the chance, the creature known as Lucifer and its minions had preformed beyond Mard Geer's expectations. Awaking Etherious that hadn't been heard from for over three hundred years. Slowly but surely the armies of Zeref were awakening from their slumber and preparing to bring their creations longest held wish to fruition.

"…you have done well Lucifer, Mard Geer is pleased by your actions."

"Your praise is wasted on one such as myself, Lord Mard Geer, I am simply obeying the desires of my own lord."

"Oh? And what desire would that be?"

"To bring judgment down on those who have earned his wrath, To destroy those who have harmed his pride and joy."


	29. Chapter 29

Lucy had to admit, Natsu was keeping up with Loke much better than she would have expected him to. Loke's power had grown exponentially over the last few years, as a Celestial Spirits power was directly linked with their keyholder, but even with the lion spirits new found strength he couldn't land a single critical blow on the surprisingly agile dragon slayer.

Lucy could only guess that this "Lightning Fire Dragon Mode", or whatever it was formally called, was something that boosted Natsu's powers in all aspects, not just his firepower as Lucy had first thought.

"Sorry to disturb you princess, but would you mind giving me a hand here?" Loke asked, his sarcasm only thinly veiled, as he flew past Lucy and rolled on the ground to disperse the power behind the punch that had sent him flying.

Lucy blinked at the lion spirit before returning her gaze to Natsu just in time to see him charging at the two of them with both fire and lightning clad around his body.

"Oh right, I suppose I did get a little distracted there. My bad." Lucy admitted as she created a dark matter barrier in front of Natsu, the dragon slayer bouncing off of her magic with a oomph and a curse. "Right… I suppose we should finish this up now. You mind buying me some time lion boy?" Lucy asked with a smile as she began to gather her magic, a golden runic circle appearing under her feet.

"You know, if you're going to ask someone for help and then just go ahead anyway some people might find that a little rude." Loke complained, knowing full well that Lucy couldn't hear him through her concentrations but still feeling the need to voice his complaints anyway. Taking a deep breath, the lion spirit once again charged at the more than eager dragon slayer, happier than he was willing to admit at the fact that he got the chance to beat the stupid boy down for what he had done to Lucy all those years ago.

As Natsu continued to fend off Loke's blasts of light, which had become more like cannon blasts rather than the beams he had once seen the lion spirit use, he very quickly noticed the magic gathering around his blonde partner and very quickly figured out what exactly she was doing.

Of course the fact that chant was the same one that Natsu had heard during their fight in the Grand Magic Games did somewhat give away what she was planning.

"O-oi Luce! Don't you think that that spell is a little overkill for a simple match?" Natsu yelled as he punched Loke in the gut, sending the lion spirit sliding backwards. Lucy however said nothing, her concentration completely encompassed by the spell.

"Really you two? Do you think it's just normal to start talking to someone else in the middle of a battle?" Natsu heard Loke comment from his side, a heavy blow landing on his left side seconds later sending him skidding across the ground.

Natsu growled at the lion spirit, his battle instinct flaring, when he heard Lucy finish speaking, a cold pit settling in his stomach in place of the fire that was normally present.

"Oh 88 Stars of the heaven...

Shine!

 **Urano Metria!** "

Natsu stared up into the sky to see glowing yellow orbs gathering over his head. "Oh shi-!" was all he managed to get out before the heavens themselves descended, pummeling him more than any beating he had ever received at the hands of Erza.

* * *

Makarov's head shot up for a second the moment he felt a surge of magical energy far too close to the guild for comfort. But after a brief time of worrying about damages he managed to identify it as Lucy's magical signature and returned his attention back to the conversation, assured that of all his children Lucy would manage to keep the damages to a minimum.

Makarov's gaze once again returned to the demon lord that was currently sitting opposite of him, she herself having clearly noticed the spellwork as she too was staring off in the general direction of the magic with a faint smile on her lips.

"Miss Lilith?" Makarov said quietly, drawing the demon's attention back to the room. "So in summary…not only do you not know exactly what Abaddon has in store for Lucy and the rest of us, but you won't even give us a means to fight back?" Makarov questioned with narrowed eyes, Mavis mirroring his grim expression.

Makarov couldn't help but feel more annoyed than before when Lilith shrugged with a sad grin. "I can't tell you when I myself can't even guess at what Abaddon has in store. Of all of us Demon Lords Abaddon has always been the craftiest and well…cruel of all." she said, her smile growing sadder as time went on. "And as far as what you can do…sorry to say but don't you think you're overestimating yourself a little too much?" She commented without a hint of caring.

Makarov raised a critical eyebrow at that, and was about to refute her when she held up a hand and continued. "Don't get me wrong, you and your little boy there are strong, some of the strongest human mages that I have ever had the…"Pleasure" of sharing a conversation with. But in the end your simply humans, do you truly think that you can fight against beings that have lived for nearly the entirety of your recorded history?" She asked an almost cruel smile now on her lips. "Even myself, one of the weaker of the Lords of Sin, could easily paint this room with your blood if I felt like it. And Abaddon has been growing stronger and stronger ever since the Bifrost was destroyed almost two hundred years ago."

The atmosphere in the room was tenser than ever before, Lilith's thinly veiled threat hanging over everyone's head, when Mavis stepped forward, her face now grim at the thought of the oncoming fight. "So then what would you have us do, Lady Lilith? Simply wait at the chopping block for him to finish his plans? I will never allow him or Zeref for that matter, to destroy Fairy Tail. Even if use everything I am to destroy them." She threatened, coming dangerously close to revealing a long held secret of the guild.

Lilith closed her eyes for a second after Makarov repeated Mavis's threat before smiling brightly and staring at the spot Mavis was standing. "I see…then perhaps there is hope that some of you will be ready and willing to stand with Lucy when the time comes." She ominously declared before standing and moving for the door, pausing as her hand came into contact with the cool metal of the doorknob. "I will tell you this however; neither I nor Abaddon can maintain our presence in this world without a constant stream of magic from Little Lucy, whatever Abaddon does have planned when it comes to this dark wizard you can be sure that he will make sure that Lucy is kept alive and well. At least until the moment he realizes his ambitions, and when that time comes I will stand against him… to defend that which my master loves more than her own life." And in the next second the demon was gone; her immense speed carrying her from the room faster than anyone present could react.

Makarov sighed heavily, a tiredness seeping into his bones as his age caught up to him. "…well then, what shall we do now First Master?" He asked after collecting his thoughts and staring at the founder of Fairy Tail.

"We shall do as we always do when our family is threatened…we shall prepare, we shall wait, and we shall be ready for whatever comes our way." Mavis answered after a brief pause. "That is what Fairy Tail does after all, we defend our own no matter the cost."

* * *

After thanking Loke for his help and sending him home, Lucy strolled over to Natsu's crumpled body and keeled down next to twitching form. "You know something Natsu? You look surprisingly good in black and blue." She commented, the dragon slayer only groaning in response.

"Damn Lucy…don't you think that was a little much?" Gray asked, only slightly disturbed at seeing his blonde teammate finally cut loose and remembering his own fight not so long ago against her.

Lucy however waved off his concern and smiled up at him. "Don't worry, it just looks really bad…but as soon as Alva gets back I can do something about it."

Gray was about to question what exactly she meant, but before he could the sound of large wings flapping in the air drew his attention to the sky. Looking up along with nearly everyone else who had gathered to watch the brawl, Gray saw Alva in her half dragon form carrying an upside down and badly beaten Gajeel by one of his legs, the iron dragon slayer simply dangling as she descended on the battlefield.

"Luce…can you fix this for me?" Alva asked when she was close enough to speak, unceremoniously dropping Gajeel in a heap at Lucy's feet.

Lucy smiled and after ignoring Levy's startled squeak, inspected the damage that had been inflicted on the iron dragon slayer. Most of his wounds appeared to be burns of varying degrees but he was also beaten badly in certain spots, a particularly nasty looking bruise right over his ribs.

"You know Alva… I know that you fought against Metalicana and all but you could have taken it somewhat easier on the poor guy." Lucy commented as she dragged Gajeel over to Natsu.

"…he asked me to fight seriously…so I did." Alva said before puffing out her cheeks and turning away.

Lucy couldn't help but giggle at that but quickly placed a hand over her mouth at Alva's indignant glare. "Fine fine… May the light of redemption wash over those who need its serenity." Lucy murmured quietly, her right hand and entire body glowing with a pure white light.

The guild members in the area closed and shielded their eyes at the intensity of the light, but after a brief second the light was gone. Opening their eyes, everyone was shocked to see both Natsu and Gajeel were now perfectly fine, both sitting up and looking around with confused looks on their faces.

"Holy cow Lucy! You can heal too?" Happy asked as he flew down unto the blondes shoulder.

Lucy laughed as she patted the exceed on the head, earning a satisfied purr in response. "Yep, courtesy of Lucina, the only Divinity who was willing to meet with me during my time in Underworld."

"Is that how you healed us during the games?" Wendy asked as she walked up to Lucy and the others, completely floored by the speed and power Lucy had shown in her fight along with her ability to heal.

Lucy flinched at the memory of seeing Wendy, Levy, and Charla asleep on the hospital bed. "Yes it was…I want to apologize for that by the way. Lilith acted far outside what she was supposed to during those days…and I never intended to hurt the three of you like that. I'm really sorry." Lucy apologized, causing Wendy to shake her hands in front of her nervously.

"No, no…its fine, after all you healed us after it right? No harm done." Wendy denied with a smile, Charla simply huffing and turning away, but not reprimanding Lucy as she normally would if she was truly angry about that day.

Lucy smiled, about to thank the blue haired dragon slayer for her kindness, when Natsu's grinning face appeared mere inches from her own, causing Lucy to yelp slightly and jump backwards.

"That's cool and all Luce, but your still mine for the rest of the day, so let's go!" he declared and pulled Lucy along without waiting for her reply, their guildmates quickly parting to allow them a path into the city.

* * *

Happy watched the retreating dust cloud that was his foster father and Lucy with a smile, glad that Natsu had finally started to behave like himself again and that Lucy was back with them. he landed on the ground next to Wendy and Charla was followed the others as they made their way back to the guild hall.

"Are you not going to follow them tomcat?" Charla questioned with a sideways glance, something that Happy simply shrugged at.

"Nah…those two need some time alone after all." Happy commented with a snicker, causing Wendy to blush slightly at the Exceed's implied meaning.

"Ya right, as if Natsu would have the guts to make a move on Lucy." Gray scoffed dismissively.

"So long as he respects Lucy's wishes I see no harm in it, she's old enough to make these decisions herself…so long as she intends to marry him afterwards." Erza added her own cheeks slightly pink as well.

Mira couldn't help but smile at the thought of Lucy and Natsu finally biting the bullet and getting together, something she had long ago seen in them but only gently encouraged. But before she could add her own comments to the mix a large hand was placed on her shoulder. Turning around, Mira was surprised to see Laxus had at some point approached.

"Something wrong Laxus? You look a little worse for wear." Mira commented quietly, noticing the grim expression on the blondes face.

"I guess you could say that…Gramps asked me to get you along with Erza and her team and bring you to his office." Laxus returned just as quietly before moving away into the crowd.

Mira watched as Laxus moved through the crowd, his shoulders tense and his hands fisted at his side as he headed for Gajeel and Levy who was currently fussing over the iron dragon slayer much to his discomfort, whatever had the S-class mage worried was clearly something that the guild should be concerned about. And Mira couldn't help but clench her own hands across her chest, worried for the future of their family.

* * *

Lucy allowed Natsu to carry her a few miles into town before finally stamping her feet onto the ground, stopping Natsu almost instantly like a dog whose leash had run out of slack. "Calm down Natsu, I'm not going anywhere." Lucy commented with a smile, something Natsu returned almost instantly. "So what exactly did you want to do?"

Natsu blinked for a second before his grin grew even wider, "I was thinking about going to get something to eat-."

"Gee, big surprise." Lucy said with a roll of her eyes but Natsu continued on undisturbed.

"-And then we can go see the Sakura trees! I remembered that you really liked them the last time we saw them"

Lucy raised her eyebrows at that, memories of a rainbow leaved tree floating past her apartment rising to the surface of her mind. "Are they in season already? I haven't seen them in years."

"No, not yet, but it'll be cool to see anyway right?"

Lucy smiled as she began to lead the way to a buffet that she remembered Natsu loving back in the day. "I suppose, not like I get a choice anyway."

The rest of the day went almost exactly as Lucy expected it to, with Natsu eating the entirety of the buffet in record time and the two of them having to go to not one, but two others restaurants in total to sate the fire dragon slayers unending appetite. They were currently sitting on a bench under the sakura trees which were covered in green bulbs, waiting for the right time to show their beauty to the world.

As the two continued to lounge, simply enjoying the sounds of the city around them and the gentle noise of wind blowing through the leaves, Lucy couldn't help but stare at Natsu's contemplative face. There had been something that was outside Lucy's expectations that had happened that day, and that was Natsu's behavior. Not only had Natsu punched more than a few males who had the guts to cat call at Lucy, something he hadn't done back when they had been partners as he was just as likely to join along in order to get a rise out of her, but he had been downright…gentlemanly.

He had waited for Lucy to start eating before digging into his own food; held doors open for her, and had even asked for her input on what restaurant they should go to, shocking her almost to the point of her mouth falling open.

 _Was he always like this? Or was it me coming back that changed him?_ Lucy couldn't help but think as she turned to stare at the trees again. For so long her memories of Natsu had been colored by her anger at his betrayal, and over the seven years apart from Fairy Tail her memories had become slightly clouded which made it difficult to recall how Natsu had treated her back in the day. sure, Natsu had always been kind up until that stormy night, but was he so...mature back then?

But even with those two excuses Lucy couldn't help but consider a third reason for Natsu's new found kindness, an explanation that caused her gut to clench uncomfortably. _Is it…because of me?_ She couldn't help but think as she once again turned to look at Natsu and finding his eyes gazing back at her.

"Hey Luce…did you ever see your dad again?" Natsu asked, causing Lucy's brain to freeze momentarily. "It's just that…you talked about how you met with my pops in that other world and since you've been here for years I was just wondering if you ever reconciled with your own." He asked as he rubbed the back of his head, in either nervousness or embarrassment.

Lucy couldn't help but flinch at the question and turned to stare at her hands in her lap, her face contemplative as she organized her thoughts.

"No he…he died about half a year ago." Lucy admitted quietly and sadly, causing Natsu to flinch.

"I'm sorry" Natsu replied, allowing the silence between them to stretch on for awhile. "If you don't mind me asking…how did it happen?"

Lucy smiled sadly as she turned to stare up at the now pink sky before closing her eyes again. "Overworking himself of course. Mom always joked that he would work himself into an early grave, and I guess in the end she was right." Lucy opened her eyes at that and returned to looking at her hands, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "It's funny really; both of us were so focused on goals, me on my revenge and my dad on rebuilding our family that we completely forgot about each other. In the end, when I finally realized that he didn't even know that I was still alive and went to see him he had already passed away."

Natsu remained quiet as sobs began to escape Lucy's throat along with tears leaking from corners of her eyes. "I guess I was more like him than I was willing to admit, I got so caught up in my ambition that I completely abandoned my family." Lucy admitted in between the sobs. "I'm sure…that if my mom was here now she would be nothing but disappointed in me. After all, she was willing to give her life for me, my dad, and the dragons while all I cared about was killing you and Acnologia. I'm a disgrace to her memory." Lucy admitted before placing her head in her hand and sobbing uncontrollably.

Lucy continued to sob into her hands, completely oblivious to Natsu and her surroundings, when she squeaked in surprise at a warm arm wrapping around her shoulder and pulling her into Natsu's equally warm chest. Lucy's head snapped up to see Natsu staring down at her with an expression filled with both anger and sorrow in equal measure.

"Don't you ever talk like that again Luce, you hear me?" He commanded in a quietly but angry voice. "Luce, your one of the most forgiving and kind people I've ever known. You not only decided to move on from the fact that I betrayed you, something that should never have been been possible for most people, but the very fact that you feel so heartbroken over this shows just how good of a person you are." Natsu explained before smiling gently. "I'm certain that wherever your mom is now, she's got nothing but pride in her heart for you."

"Natsu…" Was all Lucy managed to say as she stared up at Natsu's face in surprise, the pink and red glow of the sunset almost making it look like he was glowing himself.

"Besides, if anyone here that can't be forgiven it's me." Natsu continued with a look of dread on his face. "I can't say that I'm looking forward to seeing my old man again after hearing that he was good friends with your mom and what he's going to do to me for hurting you."

Lucy chuckled weakly at the image of Igneel punishing Natsu. "Well, if it's anything like the training he put Alva through then I can't say for certain that you'll come through intact. Before watching them fight I hadn't thought that bones could bend in such creative ways."

Lucy's couldn't help but laugh again at the look of horror on Natsu's face at her joke, and enjoyed his pout even more after she admitted to it. The two turned back to watch the last rays of the day descend past the horizon, simply enjoying each other's company.

Unfortunately, the pause in their conversation was just the time Lucy needed to realize that Natsu's arm was still firmly around her shoulders, and that her face was currently inches from Natsu's chest. The realization almost instantly turning her cheeks the same shade as the sky around them and a pain in her chest that felt like her heart wanted to beat more than anything at that moment

 _Oh gods…please please please don't let him notice it._ Lucy prayed, knowing full well that at this close of range Natsu was sure to pick up on her now pink cheeks and her nervous twitches

Lucy closed her eyes, trying to forcibly calm her mind, but instead her heart hurt even more when Natsu's hand gently cupped her chin and gently lifted her head so that their gazes were meeting, and what Lucy saw in Natsu gaze made her entire face heat up to the point that she was surprised she didn't explode into flames at that exact moment

Natsu said nothing as he slowly began to bring Lucy's face closer to his own, his eyes nervous but firm in their desire as they held Lucy's own gaze, her body trembling slightly at the force in his gaze.

"N-Natsu…w-we can't…we shouldn't…" Lucy stuttered but did nothing to remove Natsu's hand from her chin. She allowed Natsu to continue to pull her up to the level of his lips, the feeling of Natsu's breath on her skin sending even more shivers down her spine.

Closing her eyes, Lucy was about ready to allow what in all honesty she wanted just as much as Natsu, but when they were mere inches away from each other the horrible truth came back in full force, catching Lucy's breath in her throat.

 _I can't…I can't do this to him!_ Lucy thought in a panic as she opened her eyes and shoved Natsu away, unintentionally sending him off of the bench they were sitting on.

Natsu, after rubbing his head in an attempt to relive the now sore limb, glared at Lucy with more than just a hint of anger. "What was that Luce?!"

Lucy stared down at Natsu, the tears once again falling freely and her hands covering her mouth. "Natsu…I…I can't...I just can't!" She denied with an adamant shake of her head.

Natsu rose back to his feet and grabbed Lucy's shoulders, his gaze filled equally with both hurt and anger. "Luce…I know that I put us through a lot, and that I don't really have the right to it, but we work so well together. I mean, why not give us a chance?"

Lucy continued to shake her head, her expression hidden behind her trembling fingers. "No…please Natsu…just leave it alone!" She shouted in desperation.

"Luce!" Natsu shouted as his hands left her shoulders and reached for Lucy's own hands, intending to stare her in the eyes to try to understand why exactly she was being so obstinate.

However, before he could even touch her Lucy's own hands leashed out and slapped away Natsu's own while she stumbled backwards her face now covered in both regret and sorrow beyond anything Natsu had ever seen or wanted to see on her face.

"Natsu just stop. I can't let this happen, I just can't." she announced coldly.

Natsu growled unintentionally, not one to give up on something he desired and stepped forward. "No way Luce, I'm not one to give up and neither are you. Whatever it is that your thinking of it won't stop us if we both give this our all."

Lucy regarded Natsu for a second before smiling dejectedly. "Would you still say that…if you knew that I was dying Natsu?

 **remember the days when i would put out a chapter a week...ah those were the days.**

 **anyway I'm very nervous about the Nalu scenes at the end here, so if anyone has any criticism for them I'm more than happy to hear it.**

 **until next time everyone!**


	30. Chapter 30

For most of the people of Magnolia the silence that accompanied the first few minutes of the night were peaceful, a time to reflect on the day's events and prepare for the following day. But for the two mages that stood in Magnolia park the silence was anything but peaceful, it was both painful and filled with heartache.

Lucy could see Natsu's face go through a myriad of emotions. First disbelief, then transforming into shock and finally into anger.

"What are you talking about Luce?" He asked as he took a step forward, Lucy taking a step back in response, "I know that the…the wound was bad but you said that your demon guy used a spell to keep you alive? How can you be dying?"

Lucy didn't answer immediately as she tried to get control over her emotions, the pain caused by her heartache and sorrow almost too much for her to bare. "Natsu…your attack left me a few seconds away from death." She started, Natsu flinching at the mention of his betrayal. "And the only way for Abaddon to save my life was to stop my heart on its last beat." Lucy paused then, placing a hand over her chest without thinking about it, missing the normal thumping feeling that most took for granted. "The spell keeps my body from ageing and wounds don't bleed as badly as my blood doesn't actually flow, but since I can't age my magic cant increase like normal mages and the only way I was able to grow stronger was through the use of demonic pacts."

Natsu still looked confused but nodded anyway. "Right, you mentioned that when you showed up at the guild."

"Right…but what I didn't mention that the spell used on me was incredibly unstable and required an emotional equilibrium to remain strong." Lucy continued to explain and Natsu sucked in a breath, clearly realizing what Lucy was about to say. "Watching…watching me die in your arms, by my own hands no less was too much for the spell to take. The spell cracked, not completely but enough to do irreparable damage to it and now I am at constant risk of my heart beating its last beat."

The silence became even more oppressive as Natsu processed this new information, his hands clenching and unclenching as he thought on Lucy's words. "Well then…can't he just recast the spell or something?"

Lucy laughed dejectedly at that before shaking her head. "If Abaddon tries to recast the spell then it would remove the spell I have on me already, killing me instantly. The only option I ever had was to find a new heart to replace my damaged one, and that never panned out."

"Why the hell not? Don't doctors do that kind of stuff all the time? Why can't we just find you a regular old heart?" Natsu yelled, his voice filled with panic but Lucy failed to notice, her own emotions beginning to boil over.

"Because of the pacts I needed!" Lucy yelled back, Natsu flinching at the pain in her voice. "Because of all the pacts I obtained no regular heart could handle my magical energy. Don't you think I would have tried to find a heart already? The only hearts that could have handled my magical energy were either demon or dragon hearts and even their hearts weren't strong enough in the end nor was there a easy way to obtain them."

"N-now way…" Natsu murmured as he finally seemed to realize how grave Lucy's situation was. "There…there has to be something we can do! Surely Gramps or the first master or even Porlyusica or…or someone out there can help us. Just because you couldn't find a way before but now you've got all of Fairy Tail to help you. We can find a wa-."

"Stop Natsu!" Lucy shouted as she swiped a hand through the air, anger trumping out the other emotions in that moment. "I know what you're trying to do but just stop!"

"Luce…"

"Natsu, this isn't something you can beat by getting up after being pummeled into the ground, this isn't some dark guild that our family can rally against. This is just the march of time taking someone from you." It was then that Lucy's tears began to fall again, her vision growing blurry. "This isn't something you can fight against no matter how fired up you get."

Natsu said nothing as Lucy finished, her sobs being the only noise to echo through the park, but after a few seconds he walked up to Lucy and placed his hands on her shoulders, startling the blonde mage. "I can't accept that Luce. Sure, if we give up then then I get that their isn't anything we can do for you. But we're members of Fairy Tail! We can do anything so long as we put our mind to it along with our family." Lucy watched as Natsu broke out one of his trademark grins. "Besides, I'm your partner after all! like hell I'm going to let something happen to you now."

Lucy could only look at Natsu for a few seconds before ducking her head back down. Could she put her faith in him? In Fairy Tail? Sure, when she had been a kid and read all about Fairy Tail in Sorcerer Weekly she had dreamed that they could do anything, be anywhere; go on whatever adventures they wanted to. It was part of the reason she so desperately wanted to join them. But now…now she knew the cruel truth of life.

Things don't turn out the way you'd like just because you want them too. The world wasn't that simple.

"Luce?" She heard Natsu say, but it sounded far off and almost like an echo.

Ignoring the pain in her chest, Lucy closed her eyes for a second, her tears drying up as she made her decision. "I'm sorry Natsu…" She murmured quietly before pushing away his hands and turning her back and sprinting away. She could hear Natsu calling out to her, his voice mixed with both anger and hurt but she didn't stop, she couldn't afford to stop or she wouldn't have the strength to turn away from Natsu again.

Lucy continued to run, not caring about where exactly she was going or who saw her, she just wanted to get away from the park, to get away from the pain in her chest. Eventually Lucy found her way into an alley and collapsed onto the ground, a hand whipping up to her mouth to quiet her sobs.

 _Damn it Future Me, why did you have to come back and put me through all of this? Why couldn't you just let me leave like I did in your timeline? Why…why did you want me to fall for Natsu all over again?_

For what felt like hours Lucy continued to sob but as the night continued on her sobs eventually gave way to silence as Lucy slowly gained control over her emotions.

"Are you back in control your heart Milady?" Abaddon's asked from behind Lucy, causing her to turn to see him standing at attention in the street she had come from.

"I thought we had talked about this Abaddon, but you're not allowed to just sneak up on me whenever you want. I do actually enjoy my privacy no matter what you've heard from my guildmates." Lucy quietly chastised as she stood up, her face now stoic but tears still leaking from the corners of her eyes.

Abaddon remained just as stoic as she was, something that caused Lucy to tilt her head in curiosity as normally he would have chuckled at her attempt at a warrning. "I understand Milady, but present circumstances have…Forced my hand." He answered as he held out his hand. "I have finished my interrogation of our guests. And what they have told me has dire consequences for both us and the entirety of Fiore. You need to hear their words for yourself and decide on the direction that Fallen Celestial will take from here on out."

Lucy paused for a second before nodding and grabbing Abaddon's hand. _I can't allow myself to be distracted by my emotions anymore._ Lucy thought to herself as Abaddon's shadows began to suck her into the ground. _I cannot forget that even if Natsu's not my target of vengeance anymore that they're aren't those who still must suffer my wrath. I WILL have my revenge before the flames of my life are snuffed out, I can promise that._ And with that the shadows swallowed the two, leaving the alley just as quiet as it had been before Lucy had arrived.

* * *

Natsu couldn't believe it, how could he believe it? Lucy ran from him, apologizing quietly before just turning around and running.

Sure, Natsu could understand her being angry with him, even rejecting him if she so desired it. Of course the pain of her anger would hurt Natsu, but he could live with that after everything he had done to her.

But running? Lucy of Fairy Tail never ran from anything. Not the pain she had been put through at Gajeel's hands during the Phantom Lord attack or even when they had been almost killed by Zero. She had always stood right back up and got moving for whatever her goal was.

But now? She seemed so frail, so broken. Like she might shatter if someone touched her with too much strength. And once again Natsu was faced with a situation where a family member was in pain and he couldn't beat the shit out of something in order to solve it.

"Damn it, damn it all! It's got to be those damn demons that did this to her! Lucy would never just give up!" Natsu couldn't help but shout, flames of anger flaring to life around his form. But just as quickly as his fires flared they died out, and his fists fell back to his side powerlessly. "…what am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to save Luce?"

"…by doing what you have to Natsu, no matter the cost." A voice answered ,a voice that Natsu quickly recognized.

Growling and both turning around and jumping back, Natsu saw that the new presence was exactly as he remembered. A man with black hair and black eyes dressed almost completely in black with the exception of a white sash tied around his body. The man was smiling slightly, but it was a smile that was filled with tremendous pain.

"Zeref." Natsu growled angrily, his magic responding to his emotions and covering his fists in flames. "What do you want you bastard?"

Zeref didn't respond at first, instead he simply closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Would you believe me if I told you I just want to help you?"

"Bullshit. The world's most famous dark wizard just offering help? I'm not that stupid."

Zeref chuckled lightly at that, only pissing off Natsu all the more. "I understand why you think that but I do just want to help."

Natsu opened his mouth to yell back, but the black wizard's next words stopped him in his tracks. "You cannot trust Abaddon and the rest of the demons Natsu. And if you don't do anything then you will lose her once again."

"How…how do you know about that? How do you know about Luce's demons?"

Natsu watched as Zeref's face became clouded over in pain before he turned his head away. "There was once a time when I worked right alongside the lord of pride, along with one of his most…treasured lieutenants. But because of choices I made in order to reach a goal of mine I destroyed those bonds and drove Abaddon to hatred." Zeref's eyes once again landed on Natsu, determination clear in his eyes. "Now, the demon lord wants nothing more to make me suffer for my choices, and through Lucy Heartfilia he will find his revenge."

Natsu's flames went cold at that, his mind freezing up as he inadvertently thought back to Lucy's smile and the fear that of the danger that was apparently hiding right at her side.

"You cannot defeat him Natsu." Zeref warned before Natsu even had the chance to turn around and sprint after his partner. "If you cannot defeat Lucy Heartfilia then you have no chance against one of the seven Lords of Sin. He will break you before you can even land a single hit on him."

Natsu clenched his hands so hard that he could feel his fingernails break the skin, blood dripping down onto the ground beneath him. But he didn't care, how could he care when Lucy was in danger. "Then what am I supposed to do, just smile and pretend that nothing's wrong?"

"You cant train with me in order to become strong enough to beat him." Zeref answered, shocking Natsu more than he would have thought possible. "When you were on Tenrou Island I felt a power inside of you waking up, a flame that could burn away anything in its path. With my help you can learn to use that power and using it you many even be able to defeat the embodiment of pride and anything else that threatens those you love."

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he considered Zeref's proposal. It was true that Natsu wasn't sure if he could defeat Lucy as she was now, and even the old man had warned them against going up against Abaddon back during the Games. If even the old man was wary of the demon could he even stand a chance against him when Lucy had even admitted that she was afraid of fighting against Abaddon?

Zeref, having apparently noticed Natsu's hesitation, said something that Natsu couldn't ignore, something that once again caused his mind to seize up. "And while I won't guarantee it, I may be able to find a way to save Miss Lucy's life, provided that Abaddon does not take it soon."

"What…how…?" Natsu stuttered as his mind raced to catch up with the situation.

"I have lived for four hundred years, and in order to accomplish my goals I had to find anything and everything I could about life and how to extend or save it. If there is anyone on this planet that can save her it would be me."

Natsu stared wide eyed at the ground as he thought about what was happening, thought harder than he ever had in his entire life. Could he trust Zeref? The man feared throughout the world as a murderer and one of the most powerful if not the most powerful of any evil mages that had ever lived. But if he refused what then? How could he save Lucy from both the demons within her body and surrounding her?

But as he recalled the words he had spoken to Lucy only moments ago he made up his mind. _It's like I said, a Fairy Tail mage never gives up. Even if Fairy Tail can't help us then I just have to find another way to save Luce, even if it means abandoning Fairy Tail in the end because of the choices I've made._

"One question Zeref." Natsu asked with a cocky grin on his face, his right fist slamming into his open palm. "When do we get started?"

* * *

Alva closed her eyes as she leaned against one of the basement walls and waited for Demon-Bastard to bring back Sister-Luce. The Demon-Bastard had appeared in the guild-home before the sun went down and demanded that all members of their family return to the old guild-home so Alva had given the weak Metalicana smelling slayer to the tiny blue haired girl who smelled of jealously and followed after the demon bastard.

Normally she wouldn't have bothered to listen to him, but with Lucy still out with Igneel-smelling betrayer she could only obey the demon bastard as Sister-Luce had ordered so long ago.

Hearing a groan, Alva cracked open an eye to look at the prey on the ground. Demon-bastard had ordered Alva to hurt the two Fake demons if they tried to run, and after the first few punches they had simply given up and laid there, taking the fun out of the hunt even more.

Personally, Alva couldn't care less for the fake demons other than the thrill of the hunt. She had no interest in why Sister Luce and demon bastard wanted the creatures hurt, and she didn't need to, all she needed to know was that Sister-Luce wanted them hurt.

To Alva, the only thing that mattered in the world was what Sister-Luce wanted; nothing else even entered her thoughts. Sure, the others such as book-Man and Smiling-Demon were important, but they hadn't been the ones to save her, to name her, to be there when the nightmares of her captivity returned and woke her. And while it was true that she was happy to meet Igneel-Uncle and the rest of the dragons but even they were nothing when compared to Sister-Luce's happiness. Alva would die for Sister-Luce if she asked it of her, and the fact that she knew Sister-Luce would never do so only cemented her loyalty.

And it was that very same loyalty that kept Igneel-smelling betrayer alive right now.

Alva wanted Sister-Luce to be happy, and her dragon senses were telling her that Sister-Luce was very happy around Igneel -smelling betrayer despite her words saying otherwise. So if working around Igneel -smelling betrayer would keep the only person in her heart satisfied then Alva would do so even if it went against all of her instincts.

Alva's thoughts were interrupted when she caught the scent of two people approaching and she inadvertently smiled when she recognized one of them.

"Something good happen Alva?" Smiling-Demon asked from Alva's side before ruffling Alva's hair, causing the half dragon to growl under her breath and frown.

"Luce's here..." Was all she replied with. Alva didn't like talking with others too much, except for Sister-Luce, and talking too much with Smiling-Demon would reveal too much about what Alva was thinking about.

However, despite her two word response, Smiling-Demon's smile only grew wider as she apparently had seen through Alva already, something that annoyed her to no end. "Oh good, I wonder if she managed to get that fiery young stud into bed yet." Smiling-Demon questioned out loud, knowing full well that it would just piss Alva off all the more.

However, before Alva could yell back, the door to the basement opened and Sister-Luce along with Demon-Bastard walked in. Alva smiled and opened her mouth to greet Sister-Luce, but flinched at the look on her face.

Sister-Luce's eyes looked empty and hurt, the same hurt that Alva had seen in her eyes the night they had come to Magic-lacking Earthland. The very same night when she had tried to join her ancestors in the afterlife. She didn't even smile or nod at Alva when she walked through the door, and Sister-Luce was always happy to see Alva.

 _Damn you Igneel-smelling betrayer! What did you do now?_ Alva thought as a growl escaped her lips and the air around her heated at her anger. She was going to hurt him again if this was his fault no matter what Sister-Luce said otherwise.

"Speak Etherious, tell Milady what you have told us." Demon-Bastard demanded his eyes narrow and serious for once.

The first Fake-demon merely grumbled, apparently too beaten to respond, but the other chuckled darkly under its breath.

"Oh, of course "Milady" I would be happy to inform you." The demon responded, either not caring about its arrogant attitude or simply resigned to its fate. "Our master has sent us out to reawaken our brethren, as our creator is finally set to return to us." The demon announced before cackling even louder. "Soon, our armies will wash over your lands and slaughter all you pathetic there isn't a single thing you can do to stop us! All for lord Zeref! All for lord Zeref!" The demon started shouting, clearly having gone insane.

Alva was about to put the Fake-demons out of their misery, but before she could even take a single step the two Fake-demon's were impaled by their own shadows and the two choked on their own life-fluids before finally falling silent.

The room was quiet as the two Fake-demon's sank into their own shadows as Demon-Bastard disposed of the bodies, leaving no sign that they had ever been there. "Well then, what shall we do now Milady? It appears that the Etherious are no longer content to simply hide in the shadows." Demon-Bastard asked Sister-Luce, who had remained quiet ever since walking into the room.

"Why now?" Alva heard her mutter under her breath, so quietly that only she would have heard it. "They've never shown such aggression or organization before so what changed?"

"Milady?"

"It's nothing Abaddon." Sister-Luce answered, shaking her head as she did so. "And what do you mean what do we do? This is the perfect opportunity to attack Zeref. After all, if he wants to bring war to Fiore then we shall be happy to oblige him. It appears that Fallen Celestial is going to war."

 **Well things are getting interesting now aren't they? Abaddon continues to make his moves, Zeref answers, and for the first time we got to see how Alva thinks of the whole situation.**

 **Until next time everyone!**


	31. Chapter 31

Lucy wanted nothing more than to scream in anger as she made her way through the halls of Mercurius in a dress that was far too puffy for her taste, but instead of screaming obscenities into the air she settled for simply grumbling under her breath.

It had been a few days since Fallen Celestial had learned about the oncoming demonic invasion and things had been going downhill ever since. Master Makarov had taken the news of oncoming war well, almost too well, and had promised to have the guild prepared in time. Lucy did in fact feel bad about returning to Fairy Tail only to bring them more danger, but the old Wizard Saint had simply dismissed her apologies with a chuckle and a wave of his hand. Saying that it was hardly her fault that demons were coming for Zeref and that Fairy Tail had a bone to pick with the immortal mage anyway.

After that Fallen Celestial had scattered in order to spread the word of the war just over the horizon, Abaddon taking it upon himself to inform the Magic Council. As he was one of the few existences that the council would take seriously on such a subject.

Lucy for her part had been sent to send word to the royal family of Fiore, as apparently the Heartfilia family had a connection with Princess Hisui and her father. But in order to meet with the King and Princess of the realm in a formal matter Lucy was forced to play dress up once again. Inadvertently unearthing her memories of her time in the prison of a mansion that served as her home for so long.

 _Just keep calm Lucy, this won't take too long and as soon as I'm done I can go back to the skirts and tank tops that I love so much._ Lucy thought to herself as she tried to pep herself up.

"Announcing Lucy Heartfilia; member of Fairy Tail and former vice guild leader of Fallen Celestial." A butler announced as Lucy came to a massive double door that lead to the throne room.

"…Enter." Lucy could hear the formal voice of the Princess on the other end, muffled slightly due to the defensive magic surrounding the chamber.

The butler nodded before opening the door and bowing slightly, Lucy taking that as her cue to enter. Strolling forward confidently but slowly, Lucy approached the two thrones before performing a respectful curtsy. She could see Arcadios standing just behind the thrones, his eyes watching Lucy like a hawk but his guard generally relaxed. Knowing full well that Lucy wasn't a threat and that even if she was he could do almost nothing to the demonic summoner.

The chamber was silent as the Princess and king regarded the blonde mage before Hisui finally smiled in greeting and stood to approach, her father and Arcadios following shortly after her.

"Ah Lucy, it is nice to see you again." Hisui said as she held out her hand, Lucy smiling back and accepting the offered handshake. "I apologize for not greeting you during the celebrations after the Grand Magic Games but I was unable to find you at the party."

"That's perfectly alright Your Majesty, to be perfectly honest I was avoiding most people the night of the celebration. I had…a few things to deal with that night after all."

Hisui nodded once in understanding before her smile faded. "While I am glad to see you again, the fact that you have come here formally implies that this is not just a social visit correct?"

Lucy's smile faded as well. "I'm afraid so Your Highness." She then turned her eyes upon the king, the old man feeling the seriousness in her tone and his face becoming solemn as well. "Your Majesty, are you aware of the dark guild Tartaros?"

The old king nodded his head before placing a hand on his chin in contemplation. "Indeed, although I can't say I have a full grasp on their movement. They are the most secretive of the Balam Alliance and are considered to be demon worshipers."

"I'm afraid your slightly misinformed Your Majesty. They aren't simply demon worshipers, they are demons themselves." Lucy paused while the three people present absorbed her information, their eyes wide in shock, before continuing. "And from what my guild as discovered they are preparing to launch an attack on Fiore with everything they have."

Lucy couldn't help but flinch at the looks of horror on the three faces before her. She knew that they would react like that, but still…it wasn't easy to announce that the worst thing that could happen to innocents was soon to come.

"But…that's…"Hisui stuttered as she tried to get her brain working again.

"Lady Heartfilia." Arcadios decided to step in, his military training allowing him to recover from the new much faster than the other two. "Surely you realize what an outlandish statement that was. Tartaros only accounts for one member of Balam Alliance and even at best a simple dark guild. Surely they aren't strong enough to launch a war?"

Lucy nodded, understanding the Captain's points. "You are correct, but that is only assuming that their strength remains the same. Tartaros has been gathering slumbering demons for weeks on end with an efficiency that even Abaddon found suspicious. Using their newly awakened comrades they've gathered a sizable force and from…"speaking" with two such demons were able to determine that they've created what are apparently known as "Cubes" and using these mobile fortresses they are moving in to attack."

"I see…" Arcadios murmured as he stared down at the ground. Certainly, the information that Lucy Heartfilia had brought forward certainly sounded like the truth. And with Fallen Celestial's expertise on demons and Etherious her words were not something that could dismissed easily.

"Miss Heartfilia." Toma eventually asked. "Do you know where exactly these Cubes are in relation to Fiore?"

"I do…they are currently flying over the kingdom of Pergrande and are currently on their way here. We anticipate their arrival to be within the next few weeks."

"I see…" The king quietly murmured, thinking on the positioning of the foe and the amount of time it would take to get the military prepared for full scale combat. "We can inform the guilds ourselves but the council will likely interpret that as us overstepping our boundaries."

"You don't need to worry about that, I have sent Lord Abaddon to inform the council of the oncoming battles." Lucy answered, drawing a piece of parchment from the folds of her dress. "What we desire from the kingdom of Fiore is the supplies necessarily to maintain a magical force and a staging area for us to launch our attack."

"You intend to launch the first strike?" Hisui questioned incredulously.

Lucy nodded her head. "Yes, as we don't know exactly what they're objective is we cannot allow them to breach too far into Fiore or we risk them spreading the battle lines too thin. Better to attack them when we know most of these cubes will be in a single place. And besides…" Lucy allowed a feral grin to creep onto her face. "With demon lords on our side we can't possibly lose, just so long as my magic lasts we will devastate them."

* * *

Natsu couldn't help but let a gasp of pain escape his lips when he struck the tree, the orb of darkness launched at him by Zeref sending him flying through the air in a way that reminded him too much of the way that Lucy had sent him flying back during the battle at Crocus.

"Damn it; how the hell do you keep doing that?" Natsu couldn't help but angrily shout at the black haired mage who was simply watching Natsu in disappointment.

"Simple, since you have no stance a simple attack that throws off your balance which then allows me to send you flying through the air and leaves you at my mercy." Zeref explained without a hint of anger, like he was teaching a young child rather than a grown mage. "If you want to fight against the lord of pride you can't allow yourself to have any such openings, he won't hesitate to exploit your weaknesses. In fact, he will take pride in twisting the knife in an open wound."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at that, his anger flaring once again at the thought of the black haired demons arrogant smile, his flames flaring in response to his anger.

Zeref watched Natsu's flames with a critical eye. "Good, well then Natsu; I will try to awaken your new flames again. Try to keep them under control this time."

Natsu opened his mouth to give out his own snide comment, but before he could the world around him seemed to explode in blood colored flames. Natsu's eyes went wide unintentionally as once again Natsu experienced what it was like to burn.

The crimson flames felt like they were consuming Natsu's skin and bones as they wrapped around his form in the same way that Natsu's normal flames did. Gritting his teeth in order to keep from crying out in pain, Natsu tried to move forward with the intent of rushing and attacking the world's most famous dark mage with the new flames but before he could even take a single step he collapsed, his body shacking from the flames for a brief moment before Zeref banished them again.

"You've reached your limit for the day. We're done for now." Zeref commented as he tossed a canteen of water to Natsu. The dark wizard always refused to come within twenty feet of Natsu, claiming that only death would come for Natsu if he approached and Natsu wasn't exactly looking to get all buddy buddy with the guy. theirs was a simple arrangement of convenience, nothing more, nothing less.

"Hell no! I don't have time to waste with that bastard getting closer and closer to Luce." Natsu growled trying to stand back up but his burnt skin was crying out in protest.

"And if you overwork yourself and become indisposed? Whatever Abaddon has planned he won't overlook an advantage of you being unable to fight back when he goes after Lucy Heartfilia."

Natsu opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. It was true; he could defiantly see the demon bastard making his move the moment Natsu was down for the count. If he wasn't ready at a moment's notice then he would only end up failing Lucy in the long run, and that was something he couldn't allow again.

Thinking about his blonde partner Natsu couldn't help but grimace. despite managing to work up the courage to confront Lucy multiple times since that faithful night ,Natsu had always missed the blonde celestial mage by minutes. He had found out about the fact that Tartaros was planning to assault Fiore from the old man and had gone to her to question her about it, but found out from Levy that Lucy had gone to speak to the royal seemed to be throwing herself into the darkness in order to keep the guild safe, or perhaps it was just her way of avoiding the truth of her failing heart.

And here he was, learning to control fire he wasn't even aware he had from the world's most famous and evilest of dark mages while his partner was fighting for her life in a battle she didn't even want to fight. It was almost so comical that even Natsu couldn't help but want to chuckle. For the last few days the two of them had been training deep in the forest that surrounded Natsu's and Happy's house, so deep in that not even the blue Exceed could find them. After all, Natsu had enough trouble convincing himself to work with the man, and trying to convince the guild that he needed to work with the man who was practically responsible for the events at Tenrou? Ya, that wasn't going to happen.

Natsu sighed as he tried to get his breathing back under control, pouring water over the spots on his skin where the flames had burned him particularly badly. Actually…now that he thought about it…

"Oy, Zeref," Natsu shouted, drawing the depressed black hair man's attention. "Why the hell do you even know anything about my fire? Igneel never mentioned it so how could you possibly know about these stupid flames?"

Natsu watched in confusion at the look of pain that crossed the ancient mage's face before looking he looked away. "Well…long ago I was researching life and death and you could say that due to our research we happened upon those flames by accident."

That got Natsu's attention, noticing that Zeref's face fell even more at the mention of his research. "Ours? Who exactly is "Our"? And why were you looking into death? I mean sure, you're the guy known as the black wizard but still that's a little morbid for a guy who keeps crying."

Zeref stared at Natsu with a complicated expression, Natsu returning the gesture in kind, before sighing again and staring up into the night sky. "The second part of your question is much easier to answer. Long ago I…lost my younger brother and sought to bring him back to life. To get to know the life that was taken too soon."

Natsu narrowed his eyes as he studied Zeref's face. Sure, most people would condemn him for what he had done. He could practically hear Gramps saying something about respecting the sanctity of life or something along those lines. But Natsu? Natsu understood the desire to bring someone back, even if it went against what was natural. If someone had come to him and said they could bring Lucy back to life back when he had thought she was dead he honestly didn't know what he would have had never gone down that particular rabbit hole himself because well...he never had the right to do so.

"And the first part? Someone who helped you with this whole bringing baby brother back to life thing?"

"Someone did…a woman who I brought into this world just for that purpose." Zeref eventually replied, chuckling slightly at Natsu's confused look. "She wasn't human; I used long lost magic to bring her here and used her knowledge to aid my cause. You could even say that she was the mother of all the Etherious. She was haughty, so sure of herself that you would think that she was never wrong in her life, but behind it all she was a caring and considerate woman who didn't hesitate to do what was necessary for those she cared about. In the end, we fell in love and for an all too brief amount of time I was happy again."

"Huh…sounds like a…nice lady." Natsu commented through narrowed eyes, not really sure where Zeref was going with this.

"Not the word I would use but…she was certainly one of a kind." Zeref's smile faded then to reveal a stormy expression. "And in the end, I lost her due to a choice I was forced to make, something I'm sure you of all people can understand. A choice between the woman I loved and the goal that had kept me going for so many years."

That got to Natsu, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth hanging open. His story…was just like him and Lucy. "And is that why your helping me?"

"Partly, its true that I don't want you to lose the woman you love again like I did, but on the other hand…I do have my own selfish reasons." But Zeref turned around then and started walking deeper into the forest. "But that's enough for today Natsu, until next time."

* * *

Alva couldn't help but growl as she served the guild-home to see only moody faces amongst Sister-Luce's old Family-guild. Ever since learning about False-demons plans to bring battle to their home-nation they had been doing nothing but wallowing in pity.

Did they not realize this was the perfect time to ready themselves for battle? That if they continued like they were they would only be digging graves for themselves and everyone in this nation?

She growled again, loud enough to cause a few people nearby to flinch at the sound. She herself would prefer to be readiying herself for battle, to be sharpening her claws in preparation for the coming violence, but Sister-Luce had been clear in her orders, she wanted Alva to watch over the hatchlings of this Home-guild. Just because they now knew the objective of the False-demons didn't mean that they would wait until most of their forces had arrived to attack. So Sister-Luce gave her orders.

And while Alva would always obey Sister-Luce, that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Oh hello there Alva? Having a pleasant afternoon?" she heard an older voice ask, a voice Alva identified as Master-Wizard Saint. She had only spoken to the man a few times, and each time she had felt intimidated by the shear amount of magical energy that emanated from the old mage.

"…Master." She quietly greeted, her head bowed in respect. Of all of Sister-Luce's old family he was the one Alva respected the most.

The old man nodded in greeting, jumping up on the handrail Alva was leaning against and observing his guild through narrowed eyes. "I can see that you think there are better things to do with our time than mope around the guild hall right Alva?"

"…War is coming, why do you not prepare?"

"True, war is indeed coming, but you have to remember that for those of us here in Earthland war is a concept that hasn't been experienced in nearly one hundred years. Right now these children must prepare themselves for the oncoming battles, and to you that preparation might seem like a waste of time, but soon they will pick themselves up and prepare for war."

The old man looked up then, a warm smile on his face that reminded Alva of Igneel-Uncle's smile. "It is for that reason that I have come here to see you actually."

Alva stood up straight, her undivided attention on the Guild-Master. "What reason?"

"I would like you to help prepare the dragon slayers of this guild for war."

Alva couldn't help but blink in surprise at that. She hadn't really had much interaction beyond the Metalicana-smelling bastard challenging her to pointless battle. Sure, she knew that the Guild-home had many dragon trained children but each was of a different type of dragon. Why come to her for training?

Apparently the Guild-Master could see the question on her face, as he chuckled lightly to himself before continuing. "You see, while it is true that two of the slayers here were raised by dragons and my foolish grandson gained his magic from a slayer lacrima their time with their dragons was cut short. Lucy told me that you spent quite a bit of time training with dragons, both physically and magically, and from what I've seen you seem to back up her stories." The man's smile faded slightly after he finished.

"And as we both know, war is coming, whether we like it or not. I want to make sure that my children have the greatest chance of surviving no matter what I have to do. And so I have come to you, the one who knows the most about how a dragon fights, to increase their chances."

Alva paused before answering, thinking hard about what the Guild-Master had said. "But Luce asked me to…"

"I am aware that you were tasked with keeping the guild safe from demons until Lucy returns but you do not need to worry. I shall oversee the protection of my children. So what do you say? Would you please beat the ever living daylights out of our dragon slayers?"

That sentence seemed to strike a chord in Alva's heart, a feral grin slowly creeping onto her face at the thought of returning even a little of what she had suffered at the hands of the bastard dragons who had sent her flying through the air for over a year of her life. And if the Guild-Master was going to handle the defense for now, who was she to refuse.

"Sure, I would be…happy to beat your dragons into the ground."

 **quick note at the end here, i started this story before the connection between Zeref and Mavis came out so no, the woman he's talking about is not her. but who she is will have to stay a secret for now**

 **also another note, I started a RWBY story the other day if you like that fandom as well feel free to give it a read and as always feel free to leave a review or check out my other two Fairy Tail stories "Fallen Dragon and Solomon's Child."**

 **Until next time!**


	32. Chapter 32

When Lucy finally made her way back to Fairy Tail after weeks of preparing the kingdom of Fiore's national guard she couldn't help but think that the war had already started when she saw the state of the land around the guild hall. Craters dotted the landscape and Lucy could even see plumes of smoke gently billowing into the sky.

"Oh for the love of…is Tartaros already here?" Lucy complained as she readied herself for battle and quickly walked up to the guild, surprised to find that rather than demons fighting against her family instead Wendy and even Gajeel were running up to her and hiding behind her back.

"Oi Bunny Girl! Call of the insane dragon!" Gajeel commanded with the best authoritative tone he could muster but rather than sounding commanding he instead sounded scared.

"…huh?" Lucy questioned dumbly as she looked over her shoulder at the two cowering slayers.

"L-Lucy…she's terrifying." Wendy half cried, desperately trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Ok I still don't know what's going on." Lucy dumbly continued, looking around to see that even Laxus was currently hiding, choosing instead to hide behind a crumbled pillar rather than Lucy's small back.

"Hiding behind a human you two? Your parents would be disappointed." Lucy eventually heard Alva insult, the half dragon landing right before her with a very predatory smile on her face and suddenly Lucy understood exactly what was happening.

"Alva, I know it can get pretty boring around here without doing jobs or fighting against Etherious demons but you should just toy around with the other slayers. Of course they can't keep up with you." Lucy chastised with her hands on her hips, mirroring the same posture her own mom would use when she was correcting Lucy's behavior back in the day.

But much to her surprise Alva simply shook her head. "You're wrong Lucy, Master Makarov asked me to hurt them until they were strong enough not to be hurt later."

"Oh is that the case?" Lucy instantly accepted, it did make sense that the Master would do everything in his power to make sure Fairy Tail would come out on top in the coming war. Even if that meant making a deal with a devil in order to strengthen his children, or a half devil in this case. "Well then good luck, just make sure that you don't cripple them before the war, we need every fighter we can get." And with that Lucy started to walk away, waving over her shoulder at the now panicking slayers.

"What the hell Bunny Girl!" "L-Lucy!" Gajeel and Wendy cried out respectfully before an explosion sounded off from behind the blonde summoner, who started giggling at the thought of what Alva was going to do to the two of them.

"You sure keep some interesting company now Blondie." Laxus commented with his arms crossed as Lucy moved past him on her way to the guild.

"You sure you have the free time to be talking to me? Alva's not going to overlook such an opportunity." Lucy commented in mock surprise, and just as she predicted Alva very quickly moved under Laxus's guard and tossed him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the lighting dragon slayer yelping in surprise that the sudden movement.

But Lucy could spare no more time to enjoy the beat down currently going on outside Fairy Tail, she had to speak to the Master about the grand strategy for the war so that Fairy Tail could begin making their own preparations.

Pushing open the massive wooden doors, Lucy smiled as a few nearby members turned to look at her. "I'm back everyone." She announced, a few members smiling in return and some even greeted her in return.

But one greeting in particular was louder than most. "Hello Lucy! How was meeting with the royal family?" Mira asked from her spot behind the counter, waving slightly in greeting and preparing a glass of water for Lucy.

"It was a royal pain in the ass." Lucy replied with a sigh as she sat down and sighed, rubbing her forehead as the entire guild shook with the force of one of Alva's explosions.

"Oh my, were there problems with preparing their forces?" Mira worried as she handed the blonde woman the glass, Lucy downing almost instantly.

"No,no it's not that. It's just that after everything I went through with my old man I never thought that I would have to put on the pretty dresses and play the part of a debutante in order to get everything in order you know? It's so different from what I'm used to at this point that I just can't help but feel even more out of place than normal you know?"

Mira smiled in understanding as she handed Cana another pitcher of beer, the brunet nodding her head in thanks. "Oh I completely understand. After coming back from Tenrou and trying to get back into the modeling business in order to make ends meet I couldn't help but feel like I didn't belong there. It had been seven years and even if nothing changed on the surface everything still felt completely different."

"Right?" Lucy replied with a grin, placing the glass on the counter before a serious frown took its spot on her face. "Say Mira, is Master Makarov around? I need to discuss Fairy Tail's plans from here on out."

The smile vanished from Mira's face as well as the barmaid gestured over her shoulder. "I believe that he's in his office right now if you need to see him immediately. Also…if it doesn't really bother you would you mind if I sit in on your meeting?"

"Sure why not, you're the one who'll be organizing Fairy Tail more than likely so I don't see why not." Lucy replied with a shrug as she stood up and started to make her way to the back of the guild, the white haired barmaid following right behind her. The two women walked in silence for a brief time before finally arriving at the door to Makarov's office, Lucy knocking lightly and pausing for a brief second before pushing the door open to reveal the elder titan mage behind his desk.

"Ah, welcome back my dear. I assume that your negotiations with the royal family went well?" The Master greeted as he sat up straight and smiled in greeting.

"You could say that. We finalized the battle strategy so I wanted to come back and let you know where we will be stationed." Lucy replied in a business like tone, sitting across from Makarov while Mira served them drinks that Lucy hadn't even been aware she had been carrying.

"I see…so we're on the front line then?" Makarov continued with an arrogant smile, something Lucy quickly reciprocated

"I figured that's what everyone would want even if I tried to get you positioned more towards the back so ya, we're on the front line." Lucy then placed a map of Fiore on the table that she had taken out of her bag, the map marked with various red circles and lines symbolizing troop movements. "Since what were going up against are Zeref's most powerful creations most of the Fiorean troops won't be able to hold a candle to them meaning most of the frontline will be comprised of guild fighters along with a few regiments of Magical swordsmen from the Fiore army." Lucy started as she pointed to a few red circles on the northern corner of Fiore. "The moment we make contact I will use one of the three great celestial spells: Hypernova, and hopefully annihilate most of their air support. Unfortunately this will leave me almost entirely drained on magical energy so I will have Abaddon and Lilith remain as my guards and messengers."

"You will be commanding the troops?" Makarov confirmed in surprise, Mira mirroring his look.

Lucy's cheeks turned pink as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Well...out of anyone in the kingdom I was considered to have the most experience in fighting against Etherious and well…since Abaddon and Lilith only really listen to my orders so the king asked me to take charge of organizing and commanding the guilds. Is that alright with you Master?"

"Of course, if anything I'm overjoyed that one of my children was chosen to protect Fiore." Makarov instantly replied, a very grandfatherly smile on his face, something that Lucy was so greatful for that she almost cried right then and there.

"R-right...well then…" Lucy continued as she cleared her throat. "Just because I've blown them out of the air doesn't really mean that it will cripple them in any way and truth be told it'll just concentrate all their most powerful fighters in one spot. At that point we will begin to deploy magical squadrons."

At that point Lucy pointed at a legend on the side of the map, three symbols dawn on the side. "We decided to split the mages into squadrons rather than keep them in their individual guilds and based the squadrons on what their primary purpose is. Lucy continued as she pointed at the symbol of a knight's helmet. "First we have the armored division, designed to be at the forefront of the battle and keep the enemies attention squarely on them. This squad will primarily be comprised of those who have the highest levels of endurance or those whose magic allows them to absorb immense punishment. Think a squadron of Erza's."

"I see, a shield huh?" Makarov thought out loud as he crossed his arms. "While I don't think I need to ask you this but just for my peace of mind…you don't intend to use these mages as a sacrifice correct?"

"Of course not." Lucy instantly refuted. "I will make sure to pull those who've suffered grievous wounds back. But Master…despite my best efforts this will be full out war. The demons of the book of Zeref will offer us no quarter and we can't return the favor to them. No matter what plans I make their will be those who have to give their lives for Fiore."

"Naturally, I'm not so naive to believe that we can fight off an army of demons without a few sacrifices."

Mira couldn't help but frown as the conversation took a darker turn, the full weight of the situation finally dawning on her. They were really preparing for war.

"Right…well it's not like I'll be sending the armor division in by themselves. They will be supported by the wing division, long range support and attack mages who are less suited to full on brawls." Lucy said as she pointed at the next symbol, a wing. "This will be the most mobile of the three divisions and will serve as our primary damage dealers and scouts but will generally be kept out of direct combat unless a line starts to break down."

"And finally…we have the slayer division." She said as she pointed at the final symbol, a dragons head. "These will be our heavy hitters and guerilla fighters. Moving behind enemy lines to take out their command structure or their own heavy hitters. Those mages who specialize in brawling and have high damage output will be in this one."

"I see…an impressive strategy." A new voice, the voice of Mavis Vermillion praised from above the map. "You have quite the knack for strategy Lucy Heartfilia.

"Thank you first master. I'm sorry for creating these plans without you but if you have anything you would like to add I would be happy to discuss it." Lucy replied, already used to seeing the ghostly blonde appear whenever she wanted.

"I would be happy to, it has been too long since ive discussed tactics with others." Mavis continued with a chuckle.

"Lucy dear?" Makarov started, drawing the two blonde's attention back onto him. "Who will be leading these squadrons?"

"Ah right, we decided on not having a single leader, but rather a mixture of Guild Masters along with a member or members of Fallen Celestial." Lucy replied, pausing to collect her thoughts at Makarov's confused look. "Like I said earlier Fallen Celestial has the most experience in fighting against Zeref's demons and their curses. As such it only makes sense that we have some positions that allow us to let others know when we need to pull back or when we need to push forward. But with Abaddon and Lilith by my side the other members don't quite have a ton of experience leading forces into battle, so to make up for that we decided to use the guild masters natural talent for corralling difficult personalities in conjunction with Fallen Celestials experience. Plus Roland is able to use a mental linking magic with each and every member of Fallen Celestial so I can use that to issue orders in real time."

"I see…an apt strategy."

"Yep…and for your information I have you leading the slayer division along with Alva." Lucy informed with a predatory smile of her own, one that every person and ghost in the room mirrored. "Now then, let's move on to finalizing the individual tactics for each division so that I can let Abaddon know and he can inform the other Guild Masters in charge…"

* * *

The weeks had passed with relative ease as the guild prepared for what was to come. The members of Fairy Tail each preparing in their own unique ways but at the same time Lucy could see that each and every day the mood was becoming more and more tense. Cana was beginning to drink less and less each day, instead focusing on her card magic and future predictions. Mira had been spending less time behind the bar, instead whipping her siblings into shape. Even Gildarts had show back up a week ago, his normal cheer completely gone and instead was focusing on preparing those who didn't have unique training to undertake themselves. But even then the guild was still full of cheer during the night, Fairy Tail practically having nightly parties full of booze and music.

But behind it all Lucy could see that everyone's smiles were a little strained, their cheers of happiness a little too forced and their drinking a little too excessive.

And Lucy wasn't oblivious to the reason for the now strained atmosphere. Everyone was thinking about how this could the last time they get to really cut loose, to really enjoy themselves with their family before the war. Even if Lucy did everything in her power to lessen the damage she couldn't be there to protect everyone. It was guaranteed that not all of them would come out of this intact, physically or mentally.

Lucy couldn't help but sigh as she began moving to the back of the guild. The time had finally come and everyone was finishing up their final preparations for the war. Fairy Tail would head north using the rail system, civilian trains having been retired temporarily in favor of heavily armored military trains, something that the little girl in Lucy couldn't help but admit were pretty awesome looking.

But Lucy wasn't headed to the armored trains at that moment and was instead headed to the back of the guild. She had heard from Erza that she and Frederick had prepared armor for her to wear during battle, as she wasn't going to be one of the frontline fighters and would need all the protection she could use. And while she hadn't seen the armor herself, as the two armor fanatics had wanted to keep it a surprise, she had to figure out how to put it on herself now that both of the responsible parties had already left for the forward staging area in order to prepare defenses. And while Lucy would have preferred to at least have Erza present as two of the most senior members of Armor Division she couldn't exactly order them to remain behind just because she didn't have much experience in preparing armor.

"Haaahh…I guess I'll just ask Abaddon to help me with it." Lucy eventually decided with a sigh as she opened a door to one of the many back rooms of Fairy Tail, her sigh transforming into a surprised squeak at what she saw behind it. "N-Natsu?!"

Indeed, behind door number one Lucy found her former pink haired partner. Natsu was looking absolutely haggard compared to the last time Lucy had seen him, his eyes more shrunken in than normal and his hair even more disheveled than normal. But at the same time Lucy couldn't help but be slightly more on guard than she would be normally. Something about Natsu felt even more dangerous than normal, like an exposed flame just seconds away from exploding outward and consuming his surroundings in a hellfire.

"Hey Luce…" Natsu eventually greeted when he realized who he was faced with, his eyes looking anywhere but at Lucy, Lucy herself mirroring his actions. The two of them hadn't really spoken since that faithful night, the night Lucy admitted to him that she wasn't long for this world, and over the last few weeks Lucy had only seen him from across the guild, speaking in hushed tones with Erza, Gray, or Happy. "How are…how are you doing?"

"I-I'm good…you?"

"Yea…same." He replied in an equally as awkward manner. The tension between them so thick that Lucy wanted nothing more than to run away and hide.

"Ummm…look Natsu, about that night…" Lucy started but stopped when Natsu held up a hand.

"No Luce, you don't need to say anything. Instead just listen to what I have to say." Natsu stated somewhat arrogantly before continuing. "I realize that things haven't really gone good for you since the day I betrayed you and I can understand why you've given up…but I haven't." Natsu then took a step closer, his breath warming Lucy's face and tinting her cheeks pink. "Just wait for me, I swear that after this war is over I WILL find a way to save you from your heart. You can count on that." Natsu said before placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder for a brief second, his heat warming her body almost instantly, before walking away.

 _Well that was…interesting._ Lucy thought as she turned and watched Natsu walk away, her chest feeling warm beyond belief as she watched his back slowly disappear into the sunlight.

"That boy is quite the excitable little dragon isn't he?" Lucy heard Abaddon comment, the demon lord stepping out of the shadows and watching Natsu as well with a bitter expression.

"Oh? What's wrong Abaddon? You almost sound angry." Lucy laughed as she turned back around and started making her way deeper into the guild, Abaddon hot on her heels.

"Well…it is true that I have never had the greatest relationship with his father and I find that I don't quite have the patience to deal with fools of his caliber." Abaddon admitted with a shrug, Lucy raising an eyebrow as she watched him out of the corner of her eye.

"Wow, so no flattery today? I don't think I've ever heard you talk so directly."

"Perhaps, but war does that to you humans doesn't it? It puts things in perspective and equalizes all life. After all, no matter where one comes from or who they are all the same in a fight for the death, simply men and women only trying to stay alive for another day."

"…feeling philosophical too? Are you feeling ok?" Lucy continued to joke as she opened the door that Erza had indicated and quickly opened the door, her mouth open in shock at the exquisite piece of art on the other side.

The armor was pure silver, shining so bright that Lucy couldn't help but shut her eyes slightly from the glare. To say the armor was ornate was putting it lightly, each inch carved in designs that reminded Lucy of wings. And upon each shoulder was the Fairy Tail symbol, something Lucy couldn't help but feel immense pride in.

"Wow, Erza and Frederick really outdid themselves this time." Lucy commented as she walked around the armor, a hand gingerly resting on the silver metal.

"Indeed they have, but for the commander of the united Fiorian forces I would expect nothing less." Abaddon returned as he grasped the helm and held it out for Lucy. "Now then commander, shall we prepare you for war?"

The two spent the next few minutes figuring out the intricacies of Lucy's armor, struggling only with the straps of her chest plate, but when they finished Lucy looked particularly vicious, like a goddess of war descending into the world of man.

"Well? How do I look?" Lucy questioned as she spun around slowly, a playful smile on her face.

"Quite impressive Milady." Abaddon returned as he placed the helm on her head. "So impressive in fact that you remind me of my daughter."

That surprised Lucy. In all the time they had been traveling together Lucy had never heard any personal information about her savior, not even the barest hint of what his personal life was like before he had saved her. "Really? You have a daughter."

"Had, she is…no longer amongst us." Abaddon corrected He tossed Lucy's helm around.

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that."

"You do not need to be, it has been a long time since she left my side for the side of the man she loved." Abaddon calmly continued with a sad smile on his face. "The true epitome of what it meant to be a pride demon, never lowering her head to anyone and intelligent beyond even me." Abaddon explained as he strolled forward and placed his hand on Lucy's cheek, the skin under his touch turning pink. "But it isn't her intelligence or her pride that I see in you…it is your kindness. I admit, when I first saved you I assumed we would be returning to this world to spill blood. But instead you not only forgave the man who tried to kill you but decided to give your life for your country."

"Well you know…they are my family." Lucy muttered as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Even so, to move past it as you have…well it impressed even me." Abaddon continued, moving his hand from her cheek to her head and smiling one of the most honest smiles Lucy had ever seen on his face. "Before we go to battle…to fight for our lives, I thought you should know…that it has been my honor and privilege to serve you Milady."

Lucy smiled at that and quickly stepped forward to hug the lord of pride, something he returned after a brief hesitation. "You know, I don't think I ever did thank you for saving my life that day seven years ago…so thanks Abaddon, thank you for giving me another chance at life." Lucy started before frowning in realization. "Actually, now that I mention it…didn't you say that you would one day take a payment for our contract? What did you want from me if not my soul?"

Lucy could feel Abaddon tense slightly in her arms at her question, but he relaxed almost as fast. "You do not need to worry about that, I will receive my reward in due time." And with that he pulled away and placed Lucy's helm on her head. The cocky smile she had come to expect from him once again on his face. "Now then Milady, it is about time that your troops see their new leader, and far be it from me to withhold your impressive visage from them."

"Right," Lucy agreed a serious expression now on her own face as well. "We wouldn't want to keep Zeref's demons waiting for too long."

* * *

The man stood in a random cave with a feral grin on his face. He could feel it in the air, the anticipation, the desire. Soon the land would be awash in blood once again, forces of man and demon would soon clash and the chaos created from their battle would only fuel his power.

But more than anything the man was looking forward to finally reaping the rewards for the plan that began over twenty years ago. The power that was created that day, with that letter would finally be competed upon that battlefield.

"Soon, Son of Igneel…soon we shall wrap this world in fire."


	33. Chapter 33

It had been a long time since Lucy had felt fear, not since she had been hit by a curse that had transported her to a chamber filled with spider-like Etherious. But as she stared out at the soon to be battlefield she could feel the cold tendrils of fear wrapping around her unbeating heart.

Stretching out before her she could see the ramparts the Fiorian military had built in haste, walls of flimsy wood with a multitude of mages and warriors hiding behind them, and small towers of lacrima that would be used to shoot down anything that came too close and help with their opening attack. She could see ballistas spaced periodically along their defensive line next to tents with each guilds symbol printed on flags over the top of the fabric, a rallying symbol for the united mages.

But despite all the gathered forces Lucy couldn't help but feel afraid at what she saw before her. The sky was filled with massive hovering cubes, cubes that likely held an uncountable number of demons intent on turning Fiore into a land devoid of life, so many cubes that they were actually beginning to block out the light of the sun rising behind them.

"Wow…that's a lot of Etherious…I wonder if they have any lookers in their ranks?" Lilith questioned playfully as she looked up into the sky.

"Are there ever? Most of the time they just look like a person mixed with a bug or just giant skeletons." Lucy replied with a sigh as she turned around to inspect the ritual magic site that Abaddon had prepared for her.

Unlike the two previous great celestial spells; Urano Metria and Heaven's Fall, Hypernova involved invoking the Spirit King's power through earnest prayer. The caster requiring themselves to separate their mind from the mortal plane, fully grasp the power of the heavens, and channel the power of creation into a single point of their choosing in order to unleash the spell.

And while Lucy had a strong connection to the Spirit King, having been invited to a celebration for her return by the king himself she still knew that she would be essentially defenseless during the ritual. And even if she didn't take into account the pranks Lilith would inevitably play on her while she was in contact with the King she still couldn't discount the threat of a long range attack targeting her the moment she went under.

And that wasn't even taking into consideration the fact that the enemy, whoever they were, seemed to somehow know about Lucy's plan as their formation was fairly spread out. Meaning that much more of their forces would survive Lucy's initial bombardment than she originally planed for.

"Things are already going wrong and we haven't even started yet." Lucy complained out loud as she bit the inside of her lip, trying to figure out if she should issue changes to her orders through Roland or just go with the initial plan. Was her plan even that good? Did she make the right choices in order to ensure that their side would come out with more survivors than their opponents?

 _Can i…can I really make myself give orders that might lead to my family members deaths?_

But Lucy's panic was cut short when Abaddon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn and find the ancient demon smiling back at her.

"Milady, I understand that for a first time commander this situation might cause you some discomfort. But the men and women under your command need to see you standing strong, with the same level of pride that first drew me to you." Abaddon gently chastised as he subtly gestured out to the army, many of who were currently looking at Lucy with nervous expressions. "Show them the confidence that made Fallen Celestial one of the most feared names in the kingdom."

"…it has to be a cold day in Underworld if the lord of Pride is giving me advice and not making fun of me at the same time." Lucy eventually replied with a small smile before turning to her army and conducting herself with the same level of confidence that she had used during the Grand Magic Games.

"We will now begin operation New Dawn! All forces prepare for enemy bombardment!"

"Ma'am!" The nearby soldiers shouted in response, nearly every single one scattering in order to relay her orders.

Lucy nodded once before turning back to the two demon lords and kneeling down in the immense magical circle that Abaddon had drawn. "I'm going to get started then. Make sure that you keep them off me until the spells ready."

"Of course Milady, you can count on us; in fact, we have quite the delay plan prepared." Abaddon answered with a bow, Lilith laughing in response and giving Lucy thumbs up as well.

"Yup! And I promise to only draw a few things on your face while you're out. Have fun meeting moustache man!" Lucy heard before her consciousness became fuzzy as her soul was drawn out of her body and began to travel into the celestial realm.

* * *

Wendy gulped nervously as she glanced around at the other mages that had been gathered around them. Within their camp Wendy could make out the forms of nearly every single slayer mage in Fiore along with the Exceeds that accompanied their dragon slayer partners. She had heard from Alva that Lucy had decided to place all of the most powerful and mobile mages under the scary girls command and while Wendy didn't fully trust the girl she knew that Lucy did, and she did still trust Lucy.

"Child, are you alright? You're looking paler than normal." Carla asked her in a concerned voice, the white Exceed sitting on a barrel containing fuel for slayer consumption as she watched Wendy.

"I'm alright Carla…alright I'm not really. But I know that we need to fight in order to protect everyone." Wendy replied with a sigh at first before a look of determination crossed her face. She knew that there wasn't a peaceful way out of this situation, that the demons coming to attack intended to kill them all, but she still couldn't bring herself to get excited for the fight.

Carla crossed her arms as she studied the young slayer. "Well…just remember child that the Alva brute ordered you too remain more to the back of our formation in case of injuries. Leave all the combat to the other brutes."

"I know Carla, but I still want to make sure that I'm useful!" Wendy replied, half whining at the fact that Carla was still treating her like the same scared little girl that.

"You are useful, don't question that." A new voice, a voice both girls identified as Alva, comforted as the demonic dragon walked up behind them with a half smile on her face.

"C-commander!...I…I didn't see you there." Wendy quickly squeaked out as she bowed repeatedly, still feeling the occasional sting from their last training session.

"Just call me Alva, Luce's the commander." Alva returned as she leaned against a nearby ballista, her tail flicking with impatience as she watched the approaching cubes. "But I meant what I said, you're our dark horse in this battle."

"Y-you really mean that?" Wendy cried out happily, nervously shuffling her feet when Alva nodded in response. "Thanks!...uh, do you mind if I ask why?"

"…Because your still small." Alva replied simply, both Wendy and Carla looking at her strangely in response.

"Um…what?"

"Your size, it's your greatest advantage. Most Etherious are really big, and you're still really small…so you have the advantage." Alva explained like it was an obvious matter.

"Hey you! How dare you insinuate that Wendy only strength is her size! She has much more to contribute than any of you uncouth demons!" Carla reprimanded, Wendy quickly moving over to silence the opinionated cat in order to prevent the half dragon from eating her alive.

"…Why get angry? You have an advantage that none of us have. Our opponents won't ignore their advantages so why would you ignore yours? Fight with everything you have in order to live, in order to survive. That's what I had to do back in Underworld in order to survive when I was your size."

It was at that moment that Wendy realized that Alva was really being serious, not just making fun of her height. She really did want Wendy to use her height as an advantage in combat, something she had never thought of before. "T-thank you!"

"It's no problem, those are the words I wished someone had told me when I was your size, and besides I-." Alva started to say before she whipped her head around to stare in the direction of the command center with wide eyes and clenched teeth.

"M-miss Alva?"

"…Luce has started the operation! Everyone, get ready for combat!" Alva shouted, making sure that the slayers around her were readying themselves for combat before she turned back to Wendy. "Remember, I want you to stay more to the back. Slayers tend to put themselves in harm's way too often and we'll need your healing magic." Alva reminded her before moving away, shouting obscenities at Natsu and Gajeel who were about to go at each other's throats.

"…Humph, I dislike that dragon child." Carla eventually said as she turned her head away.

"I like her, she's nice." Wendy replied with a nervous smile as she looked out at the oncoming cubes…and saw a massive fireball hurtling towards their encampment. "Everyone! Look out!" She creid out as she grabbed Carla and hid in a trench.

It was only a few seconds later that the fireball struck their position, sending waves of fire over their wooden barricades and causing Wendy's ears to ring loudly from the explosion. Lifting her head out from behind her cover, the small slayer couldn't help but gasp in shock and fear.

Standing in the crater formed by the opening attack was a number of strange creatures. Wendy could see what looked like a mixture of a man and some kind of squid, a man with ears and a tail, and the most terrifying of all was what looked like a human skeleton covered in magma and fire, its eyes nothing more than two fiery pits as it looked out over their group.

"Heh, so this is all the humans could scrounge together to fight us? Not gonna lie I'm disappointed." The one with the animal ears scoffed as he crossed his arms and sneered at their group.

The squid like man laughed madly as he too looked out over their now burning fortifications. "GAH, HA HA! It doesn't matter what you think of them. All we have to do is slaughter them all!"

The fire demon said nothing, merely slowly turning its head to stare in their direction before whipping one of its massive magma covered arms at them, sending a spray of molten fury in their direction.

However, before any of the dangerous molten fluid could land on them a massive sucking noise accompanied by an intense wind assaulted them, the lava altering course in midair to land in Alva's open mouth. The demonic dragon grinning at the newly arrived Etherious.

"Slayer Division! Our prey has offered itself to us! It's time to devour our foes for Fiore!"

* * *

Erza scowled as she impatiently tapped her foot and looked out over the ramparts. They had seen the massive fireball arch through the sky and strike the easternmost side of their defenses and while Erza wanted to go and confirm her comrades safety their commander had yet to issue any orders, and as such she was stuck in a watch tower, her patience evaporating with every second that passed.

"You're too tense Scarlet, you won't be helping anyone like this." Fredrick reprimanded as he leaned against a wooden pillar, his own face just as tense as he watched the smoke rise from their defenses.

"And how exactly can you not be? Erza all but shouted as she spun around to face her fellow armor enthusiast, her face covered in silent fury. "Our comrades are already fighting and yet here we stand, doing nothing more than waiting. Why have Abaddon and Lilith not ordered us to support the slayers in Lucy's stead? Surely they see that if the eastern lines fall we will be unable to win."

"Because it would break our lines and only give our foes another opening to attack from. An opening that would lead them directly into our support forces and our command structure and cripple us further." The bald man explained with a sigh as he looked back at the command pavilion, a golden light beginning to shine from the massive magical array that had been constructed for his Mistress. "Once Mistress Heartfilia completes her spell we will be free to unleash our long range spells on the remaining cubes and fight to our hearts content. But until that time we cannot allow the cubes to spread out anymore than they have and unleash demonic forces on the unsuspecting civilians."

"But still…" Erza tried to refute as she clenched her fists in frustration.

"…Do you not trust Lucy Heartfilia?" Fredrick questioned, continuing before Erza could answer. "Mistress Heartfilia planned for this. She placed her trust in her comrades and expects them to last long enough for her spell to take effect. It is our responsibility to answer her expectations."

"…As frustrating as it is you are correct. We cannot afford to break ranks." Erza finally relented before turning back to stare at the pillar of golden light in frustration. "I can only hope that Lucy works as fast as she can."

* * *

Lucy blinked as she tried to adjust to her new surroundings, a sea of stars that seemed to stretch out in all directions. She was standing on a small planet slowly rotating around an even bigger planet and was now dressed in a star covered dress.

"…We meet again, my Old Friend." A loud, echo voice greeted from behind Lucy, the blonde mage turning around to see a massive man dressed in armor with an equally as massive moustache.

"Hello Spirit King, it's been awhile hasn't it?" Lucy greeted with a bow before smiling up at the massive spirit, the king returning the gesture almost immediately.

"Indeed…not since we welcomed you back from the Skyless world." The Spirit King thought out loud before frowning and crossing his arms. "And now you come here to claim the infinite powers of the creation burst for yourself."

"I do, I need to use Hypernova in order to save the people of Fiore." Lucy replied without a second of hesitation.

"My Old friend, I would be more than happy to grant you the power you seek, but I must ask something of you first." The Spirit King eventually acquiesced.

"Of course, what do you want to know?"

"…Are you truly willing to give your life for your fellow mages? Are you willing to sacrifice everything for them?"

Lucy sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "Oh…so you know about that huh?"

"It was not hard, my old Friend. I can feel the magic around your heart fading with each passing second, and using the power of the final celestial spell will only accelerate your end. But even knowing this you would still ask to use the power of the stars?"

"…I would." Lucy replied after only a few seconds of hesitation. "They're my family after all, the only thing I have left in my life."

"I see…then in response to your strength of will I shall grant you the fury of the stars." The king declared with a sad smile as he held out his hand, a nearly blinding white light in the palm of his hand. "May the blessing of the stars be upon you."

Lucy tried to open her mouth to thank the king but stopped when a massive headache tried to split her head open. It felt like someone was taking her mind and spreading it out over the entirety of the universe. She could see everything in creation but at the same time couldn't focus on anything in particular.

 _Huh…so this is what it's like to be a god…it's really annoying._ Lucy thought as she tried to focus her mind on just the northern part of Fiore his consciousness seemed to zoom in until she was looking down at the battlefield like it was nothing more than a simply map and could see both the Fiorian fortifications as well as the incoming cubes.

 _Right…here goes…._

* * *

Lilith pouted in annoyance as she looked out over the soon to be battlefield. She could tell that things were beginning to go bad, as some of the farthest outward fortifications were already burning with Etherious already attacking their troops.

"Abaddon? Is Little Lucy still not done yet? I want to get started on beating these dumb fakes down." She whined as she kicked at a pebble by her foot, her frustration growing.

Abaddon opened his mouth to answer, but before he could utter a single syllable the golden light that surrounded Lucy turned white and increased in radiance, becoming so bright that both had to turn away and hissed in pain as the light burned them due to their demonic nature.

However, despite his discomfort, Abaddon recognized this as the sign that Lucy was preparing to unleash her attack, and that it was time for their opening salvo. "Roland! Orders for all battalions; commence opening bombardment. Hypernova is soon to be fired." The lord of Pride said out loud, his voice carrying over the mental connection that all Fallen Celestial members shared through Roland's spells.

For a brief second nothing about the battlefield changed, but eventually Lilith could see the lacrima towers ignite with various lights as the lesser mages channeled their strength into them along with the sound of the ballista's being draw taunt. And then, like someone had dropped a pin to announce the beginning of war the various siege engines lashed out. Lilith could make out massive streaks of fire, ice, and lighting arching across the sky, lazily making their way in the direction of the left and right flanks of the Cube formation. A second later the ballista's released their magically enhanced bolts with an audible "twang", their bolts quickly flying past the magical bolts, striking the first few cubes with enough force to cause bits of their outer shell to crumble away and their flight paths to be altered slightly, a few crashing into others and causing further damage.

And a second later the magical strikes stuck true, impacting the already weakened cubes and breaking them apart completely, the sound of the destruction echoing across the plains.

But despite the apparent devastation the opening attacks had done almost nothing to their opponents, only a few of the outliers being damaged or destroyed outright. In fact many of their lacrima based attacks had outright missed, either their aim being slightly off or diverted because of some kind of curse. But in the end their goal with that attack wasn't meant to outright destruction of all their opponents, although that was a plus if it did happen.

No, that attack was meant to force most of the cubes into a smaller area, a goal that had easily been met.

"…And from my prayers I beseech thee, Lord of the Stars, unleash the light of creation upon thy foes. By the fury of the eighty eight stars…Hypernova." Lucy murmured quietly, almost trance like, as she gestured with her open palm into the center of the cubes formation.

Lilith couldn't help but feel goose bumps at the sheer quantity of magical energy that was gathering in the center of the enemies formation, so much magic that Lilith could actually see the space warping in the direction Lucy was pointing. She could see a few of the cubes closer to ground zero trying to maneuver away from the magic they were likely detecting but they were moving so slow that they were doomed from the moment that Lucy pointed the magic in their direction.

And then, the world exploded in white light. In one moment there was nothing but empty space and in the next a light beyond anything Lilith had ever seen appeared in the center of the Etherious formation. Lilith could see that the heat was coming off the spell was so intense that some of the cubes not caught in the initial explosion were catching fire, creating the surreal sight of cubes of fire slowly falling out of the sky.

Lilith opened her mouth to cheer, but before she could the blast wave from the spell washed over them, a super heated blast of air that almost knocked Lilith off her feet from her spot miles away, the wind ripping apart the terrain that was unfortunate enough to be close to the epicenter.

And just as fast as the light had appeared it vanished, leaving nothing in its wake.

To say the spell went off successfully was a gross understatement. Every single one of the unfortunate cubes that had made up the center of the formation simply vanished, not even leaving ashes to mark where they had been. Those who had been close enough not to actually be overcome by the light but still too close were completely covered in flames, their forms obscured as they slowly fell out of the sky, their occupants likely having been incinerated the moment the light washed over their forms.

Even those far enough away not to simply be consumed in flames still suffered, the blast waves from the sheer force of the spell sending them crashing into each other, a few unfortunate ones crashing to the ground but their occupants streaming out of their depths like ants scurrying from a collapsing ant hill.

"Wow…that was…kind of scary actually." Lilith admitted in an awed tone, rubbing her arm in an attempt to alleviate the burning sensation from so much light while making sure that Little Lucy was still alright, the young mage having fallen unconscious from the strain of the spell.

"Indeed, as expected from one of the most powerful spells in existence." Abaddon agreed as he strolled forward, his shadow beginning to quiver as his unique magic activated. "But this is only the beginning. Our foes have not fallen yet…and it is time for them to learn the horrors of the true demons."

 **And so starts the final few chapters of Fallen Celestial. (Not including afteward stories if i decide to do those.) but dont worry, we've still got at the very least five more chapters to go until things come to a close.**

 **Until next time everyone!**


	34. Chapter 34

As Erza watched the Cubes fall from the sky, wrapped in flames and causing the ground to rumble beneath their feet each time one impacted, she couldn't help but be reminded of the horrors of both her time at the Tower of Heaven as well as the battle at Crocus. Humans serving the demons of Zeref were streaming across the field in an attempt to meet the forces of Fiore in combat but couldn't come within fifty feet of their defenses, struck down by the massive lacrima defenses that had been prepared in advance.

The scarlet haired mage had to admit; in the seven years that Lucy had spent away from her family she had become truly terrifying, she had prepared their forces with nearly one hundred percent accuracy when it came to Tartaros's plans.

"Milady has proven herself quite the strategist once again. Now it is our turn to prove our strength in return for her strategies. Let us show those who would destroy our lands what it means to make an enemy out of Fiore!" Frederick shouted as he brandished one of his halberds over his head, the various members of the armored division roaring in response before rushing to their stations.

"An impressive speech for someone who has no relation to these lands." Erza complimented as she overlooked the bastilles.

"As both the Head Guard and a General in the army of wrath there have been many a times where I have needed to raise the moral of those who serve under my banner." Frederick replied with an almost sad smile on his face before once again returning to his usually stoic features. "But that is not relevant to our current situation, as we must ready ourselves for their counter attack. Come, let us g-."

But before he could finish both noticed that the air around them was filled with black human shaped papers floating along the wind like ash falling just after a volcanic eruption. Both armored mages stared up at the sky in shock, trying to make sense of what was happening but before either could utter a single syllable each and every black paper transformed into an black armored soldier.

"For Lord Zeref!" The closest one shouted as they brandished a blade and swung mercilessly at Erza, the requip mage to startled to react in time. But luckily for her however she wasn't along, as Frederick was quick to slam the shaft of his halberd into the man's chest, sending him flying backwards and into one of the wooden barricades.

"I see…so you two are the ones in command of these pathetic humans?" A both calm and cold voice questioned from above them, the two armored mages both looking up to see two figures floating there staring smugly down at them. One of them was a strange green haired woman wearing a massive helmet, two massive claws sticking out of the ends of her sleeves.

The other figure looked almost angelic were it not for the cruel but happy smile on their lips. The figure was also a woman with bright pink hair and massive white wings on her back. She was dressed in what could only be described as white religious robes. But despite the overwhelmingly religious look Erza couldn't help but shiver at the strange happiness in the demons eyes.

"Oh Lord Zeref! How gracious you must be to give us so exquisite prey to offer to you. Ah I can hardly contain my excitement!" The pink haired demon cried out as she took an almost prayer like stance and stared up into the sky, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Jebel, do not forget what we have come here to do in your zeal." The clawed demon warned as the two creatures landed, each of the surrounding mages that weren't already engaged in combat taking a step back forming a ring around the four combatants.

"Ah, don't be so cruel Kyôka. How often do we get to sacrifice the unwilling to our lord and savior? This is a moment to celebrate! Not be cautious." The angel demon, a being known as Jebel apparently, refuted with an almost pout-like face as she studied their surroundings, her eyes lingering on Frederick and Erza. "And those two in particular look particularly delicious."

"…Enough of this pointlessness! Die demon scum!" a mage in the surroundings shouted out, their hands glowing with light as they attempted to use magic.

But whatever spell the man was trying to use never went off, as the pink haired demon simply turned to stare at him and shot him a withering glare. A gurgling sound leaking from his mouth as he collapsed on the ground, dead before he even touched the earth.

The other mages instantly recoiled away while Jebel cried out with a tone of voice that would have made men go pink in the face were it not for the current situation.

"Ahhhh…though your offering was small I thank you good sir for offering your soul to Lord Zeref!" She cried out with her hands clasped in front of her chest, almost as if in prayer.

"What did you…?" Erza trailed off as she stared wide eyed at the fallen mage, but before she could finish her thought Frederick interrupted.

"I see…so you posses a perception type curse then." The bald warrior mused out loud, drawing both demons gazes.

"Hoh? It seems that one amongst them knows about curses…how interesting." Kyôka quietly commented as she studied Frederick like a cut of steak she was about to devour.

But Frederick for his part was completely unaffected, simply drawing his second halberd and lowering in to a stance. "You'll find that I know much more than just how to identify curses." He bragged before casting a gaze at Erza. "Titania, fight against the clawed one. Your magic is too mismatched against the other. Everyone else! Find foes and prove your strength!"

For a brief second Erza wanted to refute the man, but very quickly remembered the fact that like Lucy this man had fought against the demons of Zeref for years and had much more experience with this kind of battle than she did. And she wasn't foolish enough to deny a source of strength, even if that strength was one of the people who had, for all intents and purposes, taken Lucy from them.

But even without the expertise that Lucy's companion had gained through traveling with the blonde mage Erza still managed to pick up on some information. Frederick mentioned something about the other demon having some kind of curse dealing with her ability to interpret the world, whether that was through sight or some other sense Erza couldn't be sure but so long as she kept a certain amount of distance between Frederick and his foe she shouldn't have any problems.

Kyôka smiled like a cat watching a mouse as she too maneuvered away from the others. "Such beautiful crimson hair…I cannot wait to stain the rest of your form with the same color." She commented as her claws began to extend into deadly blades.

"You will try…but you will fail." Erza returned as a golden light enveloped her body for a brief moment before revealing her now in her Flight Armor.

"Hmmm…it will be fun to break you." And with that the battle began, Kyôka rushing forward with her claws growing long enough to actually appear more like swords than parts of her body.

But Erza was prepared for her charge, the scarlet haired mage lowering her stance and whipped her sword in an attempt to stop the attack. But unfortunately she was quite fast enough, as one of the clawed fingers lightly scratched her arm when the two moved past each other.

Erza of course grimaced the moment she was wounded but fully intended to move past it, as wounds were simply expected in war, but a few seconds after the wound was delivered Erza's body convulsed in pain, a feeling like every single one of her nerves having caught fire assaulting her mind.

Crying out in pain Erza couldn't help but loose her footing and collapse a few feet from the demon, Kyôka turning around slowly to smile cruelly at her.

"Did you enjoy that, Erza Scarlet? That is the true power of my curse; the ability to enhance your sense of pain while increasing my own powers. And from the looks of things it won't take me too long before you are reduced to nothing more than a pitiful pile of flesh." The demon taunted as she sharpened her talons against each other.

"Pain…you believe this is enough to cause me pain?" Erza clarified as she shakily rose to her feet, her eyes meeting the demons and causing Kyôka to flinch and take a step back involuntarily at the cold fury she saw in the two brown eyes. "You know nothing of pain if you think this will be enough to break me." Erza continued on as her armor once again began to glow.

How could a fake demon possibly know what real pain was? How could she understand the pain of having lost so many people over the course of her life? Grandpa Rob, Jellal, Simon, and even Lucy…a pain far greater than any physical pain that could be inflicted upon her flesh.

No, this demon knew nothing of what true pain was. And so long as she continued to draw breath Erza would make sure that no one in her family would suffer such pain ever again.

* * *

Frederick only had time to spare the crimson haired mage a single glance before he had to once again turn his attention back to his own foe. He had heard Titania cry out in pain but he couldn't afford to lose focus.

After all the angelic demon before him was capable of crushing the earth with just her fists and was persuing Frederick with an absolutely ecstatic look on her face.

"Ahhhh! So glorious…this is what it means to serve our lord! Ah Zeref…I will gladly offer this soul to your greatness!" Jebel cried out as she hefted a massive dislodged piece of the ground and swung it at Frederick like a club.

"Quite the distasteful demon you are. Can you not fight with even a modicum of tact?" Frederick chastised coldly, disturbed by his opponents behavior and wishing she at least behaved with at least an ounce of the honor his master displayed when she had first come to seek Ira's strength.

"Whatever do you mean? To fight in Zeref's name is the greatest joy we Etherious can experience. Why would I not enjoy battling for his sake? The only way I could possible enjoy myself more was if you were to fall here and now." Jebel instantly returned as she chucked the mass of stone at Frederick, only to have the bald warrior duck underneath it. "Besides…I must admit that having such a pathetic life form discovering the origins of my curse is somewhat infuriating so I would prefer to have you die immediately."

Frederick couldn't help but click his tongue in annoyance as he dodged another piece of earth. He had identified the demons curse as a perception type but he still couldn't determine the exact way she had killed the weakling mage from before. If it was nothing more than simply seeing her opponent she would have activated it already against him, but here he was still as healthy as ever.

 _…no matter, I will simply have to test this myself. I gain nothing by prolonging this game of cat and mouse._ Frederick eventually decided grimly as he prepared his stance, his halberds glowing with a pale green light. " **Wrath style: Raging blow.** "

But before Frederick could cast the spell his body was wracked by immense pain in a similar manner to having every cell in his body crushed under an immense weight. With his concentration broken Frederick's spell shattered just like his stance, his legs giving out and causing him to collapse to his knees as blood began to leak from his lips.

Jebel cried out in an almost animalistic way as tears began to leak from her eyes. "Ahhhh such a wondrous offering! And to think you still draw breath and may once again offer yourself to the great lord Zeref! Oh what a blessed day!"

"…I see, so it's the activation of magic that invokes your curse." Frederick breathed out as he wiped away the blood trailing down the corner of his lip.

Jebel pouted for a second before answering. "Indeed, the moment someone uses ethernano before me they must pay for it with their life…although I don't think anyone has ever lived long enough to listen to my explanation…you do understand it right? Your feeble human mind is able to comprehend it?"

"Oh I have done more than that…you did receive all of that correct Roland?" Frederick replied, first to the confused demon before him and finishing to the mage who was currently listening in.

" _I've understood the gist of it…so long as this demon does not witness the magic being cast it appears that she shouldn't be able to affect the magician who cast it."_ Roland concluded, his thoughts mirroring Frederick's own. " _Wing Division will be more than happy to send a magical bombardment your way soon enough but unfortunately we must first aid another group of mages beset by some kind of Ice wielding Etherious. We request you hold out for as long as you are able."_

"That will not be an issue." Frederick declared as he readied his weapons, completely ignoring the pain in his body. "I doubt this pathetic demon can manage to land a single hit on me." The warrior declared, Jebel's face paling slightly in response.

Frederick always enjoyed seeing that face on an Etherious. The moment when they finally realized that they had bitten off more than they can chew.

* * *

Natsu growled as once again the air in front of him exploded for no real particular reason, the dumb looking cat guy in front of him cackling madly as the smoke cleared.

Wendy and Carla had moved further away to engage the strange tentacle man and even the other slayers had moved away to engage their own opponents, more and more meteors landing inside their defenses and sending dirt and wood flying through the air.

And no matter what he did the bastard would just not go down, no matter how many flaming fists Natsu slammed into his face. Smiling cockily every single time he got up. "Stupid human you've punched a ton of times now ya know?"

Natsu scoffed as he wiped some blood off his cheek. "Of course I did. This is a war after all and you guys are after Fiore. It's normal for me to hit you."

"Fair point for a human scum. But before we started fighting you cut me off. I was trying to tell you that when someone punches me they turn themselves into a bomb. So I wonder…how many times exactly did you punch me?" The demon, Jackal if Natsu remembered correctly, commented with the same arrogant grin as Natsu's body started to light up with a pale yellow light. "Time for you to go boom!"

Natsu glared down at his fists as the light continued to grow, not even the least bit worried about the threat of exploding. Unbeknownst to most Zeref had told Natsu everything about the demons of Tartaros. And as such Natsu knew exactly how to counter this bastard…that was of course assuming that the world's most famous dark wizard was actually telling the truth.

 _Eh screw it…if it's a lie then I can just beat this guy down the old fashion way._ Natsu eventually decided as he put his hands near his mouth and readied himself for the inevitable.

A few seconds later both of Natsu's fists exploded into a hell storm of bright yellow colored flames. But the flames that washed over his body weren't in the least bit painful. Hell, they were practically lukewarm at best. And that just wasn't gonna be enough to take down Natsu.

Grinning cockily, Natsu quickly devoured the flames that had wrapped around his body; the hazy flame filled air quickly dissipating to reveal a very startled and confused Jackal.

"Really? That's it? The tiny red haired girl over there can make flames ten times hotter than that? Is that really all you've got?"

"What the hell! You bastards aren't human…your monsters!" Jackal accused as he pointed at Natsu, the fire dragon slayer only smiling confidently back.

"Of course we are. We're Slayers after all." He returned before entering into his stance, his magic flaring in response to his will. What he was about to do was a new form born from the hellish training Zeref had put him through, a form that gave him an explosive increase in powers…assuming he could control it.

But Natsu wasn't about to fail here. He had promised himself that he would be strong enough to keep his family safe no matter what he had to do. And since Lucy already had made deals with devils he figured he might as well get the next best thing.

" **Lighting Fire Dragon Mode: Chaos shift!** " Natsu yelled out, blood red fire mixed with arc's of thunder exploding out around him. The flames roaring so loud that it sounded like the furious scream of a dragon rather than magical fire. Natsu watched as Jackal stepped back, his form beginning to shift as he took on what Zeref had referred to as his Etherious form. But Natsu wasn't about to give him a chance to do anything more and quickly moved forward until he was only a few inches away from the terrified demon, a smile growing on his face at the joy of being only seconds away from finishing his foe. " **Chaos Fire dragons thundering fist!** " Natsu screamed out, the fire and thunder around his body gathering into his right fist for a brief second before exploding into the blonde haired demons face.

And when the smoke and flames cleared there was nothing left of the exploding demon other than a dark smudge on the ground.

 _Good the bastard got what he deserved._ Natsu thought with a chuckle as he glared down at the ashes, the blood red flames around his body growing stronger. _This is what they all deserve, every single demon. They should…all…_ _ **Burn**_.

Natsu flinched as he quickly reigned in control of his fire, the blood red color fading only to be replaced by his normal flames. He couldn't let the fire gain control over him, not now when there were people nearby that he had to keep safe. And in trying to keep his fire under control his mind inevitably went back to one of his final training sessions with Zeref.

 _Natsu panted heavily as he stared at the ground in shock, the once nice looking stretch of forest having been transformed into a wasteland of glass and ash._

 _"And that is your true strength Natsu, a strength that even your foster father was too afraid to have you learn to control." Zeref commented from a nearby stump, a lonely but somehow proud smile on his face. "But you have to be careful Natsu. Using that power too much will only bring harm to those near and dear to you."_

 _"What the hell does that mean?"_

 _"It means that the more of that fire you use the closer you come to becoming the very thing you fight against. Turning your back on your humanity."_

 _"…And how the hell do you know about this?"_

 _"…I know more about you than nearly every person on this planet Natsu…not because I have spent time with you but because I understand perfectly what you are."_

But Natsu had no more time for thinking about the past, as a red haired woman was sent flying into his side, Alva quickly regaining her footing before glaring down at the now thoroughly pissed slayer.

"If you've beat yours stop sitting around and help someone else…damn fool." The half dragon chastised with a click of her tongue before rushing back in at her own opponent, the strange lava creature that had arrived earlier.

Natsu was seconds away from throwing his own venom back at the half dragon but swallowed his words at the last second. This girl had taken his spot as Luce's partner in the seven years she had been away from the guild, and if he wanted to not piss of the blonde then not pissing Alva off was the best way to not anger Lucy…two birds one stone.

Plus even though she had absolutely trounced Natsu back during the Grand Magic Games she seemed to be having trouble dealing with the lava skeleton guy.

"Then I might as well help you out right?" Natsu replied as he stood alongside Alva, smiling cockily at her glare. "After all you can't seem to do any damage to this guy so leave it to the more experienced slayer."

"…How arrogant." Was all Alva said in return but made no move to force her fellow dragon slayer away, instead turning around to face off against the slowly approaching demon, both slayers tensing slightly at the prospect of the coming hunt.

* * *

Roland rubbed his temple in an attempt to alleviate the migraine that was threatening to overwhelm him. When Lucy Heartfilia showed up in his library all those years ago he would have never imagined the journey he would go on due to her…but at the same time if someone had told him how much of a headache it would end up brining him he would have simply ignored her during her time in the library.

 _Well…perhaps not, but I would have most certainly hesitated before deciding to come along._ Roland admitted as he winced for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Roland had been placed in command of the Wing division, the support mages who would move from front to front depending on the tide of the battle but in order to do so he had to connect with the minds of each division leader, Lucy, Abaddon, Lilith and even the most prominent squad leaders within their military. And to Roland's horror he had vastly underestimated what over twenty individual voices does to ones state of mind.

But Roland had no more time to worry about how much of a migraine he was getting, he had something far more worrisome on his mind than Abaddon's need for a magical bombardment or the fact that someone was apparently taking control of their soldiers and ordering them to switch sides.

A massive magical signature was fast approaching. A magical entity that felt like a dragon but somehow…darker.

Lucy Heartfilia and Lord Abaddon needed to know about the approaching threat... or they would all die soon enough.


	35. Chapter 35

Lucy couldn't help but growl and rub her temple as she examined the lacrima display before her, her nearly depleted magical levels only adding to her migraine. Despite her best efforts, the various displays before her all revealed a single truth, a truth that made Lucy's stomach flip over in panic.

The joint forces of Fiore were losing ground, and if nothing drastic was done then the war would end in their defeat.

Their opening salvo of magical attacks had done more damage than either Lucy or the various guild masters had expected, shooting down more than a third of the opponents forces, but now that they were fighting against the Etherious on equal ground the various curses the world's most famous evil mage had granted them were beginning to turn the tide.

Sure, she had received a few scattered reports that certain squads with particularly powerful mages were pushing the opponents back. But most mages in Fiore didn't come close to the power levels that most false demons had. And for the rank and file troops provided by the kingdom had even a less chance of succeeding against their foes.

 _"Report! Demons have broken through the twenty third embankments! We require reinforcements!"_ A panicked voice echoed through her head, the fourth such report Lucy had received in the span of ten minutes.

"Understood, I'll send you a squad from the Slayer Squad. Fall back to point Epsilon to regroup and retake the defenses." Lucy spoke out loud in the most commanding voice she could muster, understanding that whatever mage was speaking to her would hear her words, before she cut the connection and turned to Abaddon with a face filled with both fury and frustration in equal measure. "What the hell happened to Roland?! He was the one who was supposed to handle these connections."

Abaddon shrugged slightly as he gestured offhandedly in order to create a shadowy barrier around them, a few demonic attacks bouncing off his barrier. "I cannot say Milady; perhaps you Hypernova spell damaged his ability to keep the connection intact. Or perhaps an Etherious has attacked him. Regardless, I'm afraid I can only offer you a token amount of aid in your endeavor to keep the connection alive. As mental magic is hardly my strong suit."

"Ya, and I just don't think about things that complicated after all." Lilith added with a giggle, Lucy groaning in annoyance at her joking attitude.

"Lilith…I really can't deal with this right no-." Lucy started to say as yet another mage contacted her.

 _"Reporting in! T-the our medics have come under attack from an incredibly powerful enemy! They destroyed our guards' seconds with some kind of thorns and are sweeping through the area! Please! We need help! We need…"_ The voice all but screamed in fear and panic before cutting off suddenly, the mage who initiated the connection either falling unconscious or…falling for the last time.

And while Lucy couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for the loss of the mage, what he revealed sending a chilling sensation through her mind,

"…thorns? Abaddon, do you think…?" Lucy murmured quietly as she turned to her demonic companions, both their faces now serious.

"Based off of how quickly this Etherious moved through our ranks and the description of their curse it is likely who you are thinking. It appears that the de-facto leader of Tartaros has revealed himself… Mard Geer is on the offensive."

"I thought that he was more of a tactician than a fighter. Why would he go to the front lines himself so early in the battle?" Lucy questioned as she looked over a map of the battlefield, trying to pinpoint where exactly the Etherious was.

"Perhaps he simply realized that our forces would overwhelm them in time, or perhaps it was simply to deal with our medical facilities. But it is impossible to know what strange thoughts pass though the mind of such a creature." Abaddon slowly stated with another casual shrug, Lucy sending him an incredulous look.

"Right…and what exactly do you mean by "our forces would overwhelm them"? From what I've seen we can't possibly be doing as well as you claim."

Abaddon chuckled at Lucy's confusion before bowing slightly and gesturing to Lilith, who was smiling just as smugly as The Lord of Pride was. "Has your time amongst us made you forget? You are the one who bends the Lords of Sin to your will. You are the one who could conquer the world if its what you desire."

Lucy blinked owlishly at the two demon lords before smiling just as evilly as they were. "Well then, would you mind showing me that power then…Lilith?"

"Yes Little Lucy?"

"If it's all the same to you, would you please go deal with the leader of the Etherious? If he's using so many thorns then maybe he has some roses to give you too."

"…Ah! Your right! Oh this will be delightful!" Lilith exclaimed in happiness before seemingly remembering something and turning to her fellow demon lord with a frown. "Abaddon…do you truly…"

"I will do nothing that is not asked of me…but if the choice is made then I cannot lie and claim that I will not be pleased at the results." Abaddon returned with a frown of his own, Lucy looking between the two in complete confusion, an emotion that was becoming far too common in her day to day life.

"…Fine then, just remember that I won't forgive you if things go wrong." Lilith finished with a pout before vanishing in a swirl of rose petals. Leaving Abaddon and Lucy staring at the spot she had been occupying as the ground shook underneath them.

"…Do I want to know? Or is this just some more demon baggage you two have?" Lucy eventually asked as she turned back to the lacrima display and directed a Fiorian division to reinforce the southern flank.

"…You need not worry yourself, Milady. Regardless; no matter what you do, a choice will be made in the near future."

"…A choice?" Lucy parroted, vaguely recalling something from her first few months in Underworld. But before she could continue a piercing screeching sound echoed in her head, causing her to cry out in pain and surprise as she tried to cover her ears.

"Well now…this is quite a nuisance." Abaddon commented with a frown, as he too was apparently hearing the high pitched squeal.

 _"Thank Lord Avirta that I finally got through."_ Roland's voice echoed through their minds, relief clear in his voice.

"Roland? What happened? Why were you out of contact for so long?" Lucy questioned, not fully able to keep her annoyance out of her voice despite hearing that he was alright.

 _"I was…no, this isn't the time to go into that."_ Roland started before seemingly changing his mind. _"Lady Lucy, Lord Abaddon, something is coming. Something that is far more of a threat than any Etherious could ever be."_

"Oh? And what would this threat be?" Abaddon questioned curiously, Lucy thinking the exact same thing.

 _"It…I can't…dra-…"_ Roland started to reply, but once again the connection cut away, leaving both Lucy staring at her demon benefactor with a look of confusion and dread.

She knew of only a few words that sounded like the broken words that Roland had attempted to convey…and if it was what she feared, then things were about to become much more complicated.

* * *

Mard Geer strolled through the remains of the human medical tents with a complacent smile on his face, enjoying the sight of flames licking the sky and weaklings fleeing from his curse. It had taken almost no effort for Mard Geer to anticipate the plans of the pathetic inscets that stood against them, and as such he had ensured that the inner Cubes were only used to transport the weakest of his minions and when they had been shot down by an admittedly impressive spell his smile had hardly faltered.

But things afterwards had not gone as smoothly as he originally perceived. Not only did the false demons, the being known as Lucifer, desert them only minutes after the battle was joined. But now he had received word that some of the Ten Demon Gates had fallen in battle. An unprecedented event that left a foul taste in his mouth…and almost brought him to anger.

"No, Mard Geer cannot allow himself those emotions. The leader of Tartaros must maintain his decorum no matter what situation he is faced with, even if the situation is simply pest control." Mard Geer commented with a shake of his head.

"Aww, really? If you don't get angry then I don't get as much enjoyment out of this. I find that men tend to put more effort into things when they get angry before throwing down, as fury isn't all that different from passion after all." A female voice commented, their tone all but implying a pout on their face.

Mard Geer turned around, ensuring that whoever was approaching could not attack the soul of E.N.D that he held in his hand, to see a blonde human casually approaching. She held a thorn covered whip at the side of her skimpy outfit, an outfit that had no effect on the lord of Tartaros.

"Yet another human fool seeking to defeat the lord of demons? Mard Geer cannot help but feel disappointed in the ignorance of humans." The black haired Etherious commented with a sigh as he prepared himself to use his curses.

But to his surprise the woman remained unaffected by his taut and instead seemed almost…disappointed?

"Well, that's a shame. I would have thought that the self proclaimed lord of Tartaros would have been able to see us for what we really are…but oh well, at least you're quite the looker." She commented with a chuckle, her hand slowly reaching for the whip at her side.

"Flattery means nothing to Mard Geer human; would you enjoy hearing compliments from a rat?"

"Oh, I don't know. There was this one mousy guy I hooked up with when Little Lucy was away…" The woman replied before blinking owlishly. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I haven't introduced myself yet." She admitted with a giggle before bowing. "My name is Lilith, pleased to meet'cha."

Mard Geer narrowed his eyes for a second, the name striking a cord with him for some reason, but he quickly dismissed the feeling. What did it matter what the human's name was? She would be dead soon enough anyway.

"… **Thorns.** " Mard Geer chanted as he swiped his hand through the air, sending a stream of vines racing at the foolish human with the intent to bind her and tear her to shreds. However, he was shocked to see that instead of being sliced into ribbons, the human had vanished entirely from within the bindings.

"Hoh? It appears that this rat bears some ski-." Mard Geer started to say before something struck him in the side and sent him skidding backwards with a shocked look on his face.

"Oh wow. I was trying to sever your spine with that attack. Your built stronger than you look." Lilith commented with clear surprise in her voice. But Mard Geer refused to allow a mere human to goad him into anger after so many years of being above the emotion. Instead he chose to once again attempt to bind the blonde mage while simultaneously conjuring two of his exploding roses. Fully intending to piece the infuriating woman's chest for the crime of standing against him.

But once again reality refused to cooperate, as when the roses were only inches away from her chest her right hand seemed to fade from view for one second, only to be holding the roses between her fingers in the next with a smug expression on her face.

"Aw, you didn't need to get me flowers to show me a good time, but I still appreciate the gesture and I guess I should return the favor." She continued as magical energy began to swell around her form. " **…Fourth Illusion: Rose Storm!** " she shouted as the air around her exploded into a multitude of razor sharp rose petals, each one slicing through the air directly at Mard Geer.

But the lord of Tartaros was more than prepared for the attack, conjuring a burst of curse energy in order to deflect the attack and propel himself away from the attacker. But Lilith wasn't done just yet, immediately moving around her own storm of flower petals to lash out with her own thorn covered whip, striking the black haired Etherious across the cheek and leaving a red gash in its place.

And once again, Mard Geer could feel it. The long forgotten and most heinous of emotions…anger. "Damndable human! You truly think that one such as you has the strength to defeat Mard Geer? I shall show you the true fury of Lord Zeref and wash across this battlefield like a plague!" He shouted as his body began to change into the shape while wings began to appear on his back.

Under normal circumstances his true form struck fear into the hearts of those who viewed it, sending most mages into fits of hysteric sobs. But the mage in front of him almost looked excited to see his true form, her eyes wide and she was actually applauding.

"Oh, Oh! That's your etherious form right? You look so much better now than you did before!...but if you're going to use your true form then maybe I should do the same?" Lilith commented with a finger on her chin, a comment that sent a shiver of fear down the spine of the thorn-wielding demon.

But before he could question what exactly she meant the world around them exploded with magical energy, Lilith being at the center of the sudden ethernano maelstrom. Mard Geer couldn't help but take a step back as the once pure blue energy was stained black.

 _This is…her will is staining the magic? Her power is that strong?...It appears that Mard Geer has underestimated this foe._ The black haired demon thought grimly as the storm of ethernano faded to reveal a very different looking Lilith.

She was a few inches taller than she was previously and her skin was covered in strange, swirl-like black tattoos that covered her exposed arms and legs. On her back Mard Geer could see two demonic wings; similar to his own but more angular, like they were comprised out of black blades. He could see a black armored tail twitching back and forth behind her in the same manner a cat's tail twitched before leaping for the kill.

But by far the strangest and most obvious change where the woman's eyes had become two shining red gemstones instead of her normal red eyes. An appearance that Mard Geer had heard legends of for nearly the entirety of his existence.

"It can't be…you can't be in this realm." He murmured in shock as Lilith began to laugh to herself, clearly amused by the Etherious's shock.

"Did you finally realize? Then allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Lilith; The Lord of Lust and true demon of underworld…and at the request of my Master it's time for me to punish you." Lilith commented with another giggle as she created illusions of three massive living thorn vines behind her. "Try not to enjoy this too much, that's my responsibility after all." And with that she gestured simply, the vines obeying her commands and lashing out at Mard Geer.

* * *

Natsu leapt back in order to avoid the stream of lava the fiery-skull bastard launched at him for what felt like hundredth time. Compared to the exploding bastard this guy was much more frustrating, simply tanking both his and Alva's fire like it wasn't there before launching bursts of lava at the two of them in retaliation. But the big dude moved so slow that even Natsu was able to see where he was aiming and move out of the way in time, the two slayers having yet to be even singed in the battle.

But the longer the fighting went on the more frustrated the two became. Despite being locked in combat they could still hear the nearby reports from their fellow mages, and from the sheer quantity of the screaming that was bouncing around in their head the battles weren't exactly going that well.

"Damn it! Why won't this guy just go down?!" Natsu screamed in frustration in between sending breaths of flame at the massive, lava covered skeleton. The massive Etherious simply allowing the fire to wash across its body as it slowly lumbered closer and closer with the intent to melt them down.

"…This is pissing me off." Alva growled, her own felfire having almost no effect on the creature either. "I need to help Luce…"

"Oh ya! I almost forgot!" Natsu shouted before switching his anger over to Alva, the younger fellow fire slayer shooting him a questioning glance. "I'm the only one that gets to call Lucy "Luce" so stop using my nickname!"

"…Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" Alva immediately challenged back, the two slayers now having completely forgotten the still approaching demon.

"I'll fight you for it! The winner gets exclusive use of that nickname."

"You? Fight me? You couldn't even land a single hit on me back during the tournament and you think you can win now? Don't test me, clutch of Igneel." Alva growled, uttering the longest sentence Natsu had ever heard her use.

"Ha! You think we're gonna fight the same way? How immature." Natsu gloated as he crossed his arms and grinned smugly. "Our next duel is gonna be to see which of us can last longer on a train…or are you too afraid?" he challenged, trying his hardest to ignore his own growing nausea while Alva's face paled just as much as his did.

"Y-you bastard…fine. I accept your challenge." Alva finally relented, her face twisted in both fury and dread. "But if I win then you have to call me "Big Sister" for one month. Otherwise no deal."

"Guh…fine, you're on!"

"Burn…away…" The lava skeleton murmured as it raised its hands to crush the two, having approached to the point where it was directly in front of the two during the time it took for them to work out the terms of their fight. Unfortunately for it, by interrupting them it forced all the fury and frustration that the two fire slayers were feeling directly onto it, both turning their glares on it in a fraction of a second.

"Shut up! **Chaos Fire dragons Roar!** "

"Begone! **Felfire Dragons Roar!** "

The two slayers shouted as they unleashed their dark red and pale green fires respectfully, the Etherious didn't even have time to react as the fires washed across his skin and burned both his flesh and soul away, not even leaving ash in its wake.

The two dragon slayers stood there for a moment, trying to get their breathing back under control, before Natsu stared at Alva with a look that was filled with both confusion and frustration in equal measure. "…why didn't we just do that to begin with?"

"…Because you're dumb." Alva returned with a childish pout, Natsu screaming out indignantly but Alva didn't bother to pay attention to him anymore. Instead, she turned back to stare in the direction of the command tents. "But Luce needs me…and I guess you can come along too."

"Wait what? Does that mean that you're finally acknowledging my strength?"

"What? No, I just need someone to take blows for me." Alva instantly denied as she revealed her dragon wings.

Natsu opened his mouth, intending to yell back at the indignant half dragon, but before he could utter a single syllable the air around them shook as a powerful roar shook their surroundings. A roar that Natsu could never forget from their time on Tenrou Island.

* * *

In that moment everything stopped, the roar shaking the air with such force that no one could ignore. Both human and etherious alike looked up to see a massive winged form break through the clouds and smoke that covered the battlefield, a draconic shape that no living creature on Earthland could forget.

The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse had arrived.

Within seconds of appearing, Acnologia released a beam of blue energy that cut across the center of the field, creating massive plumes of fire and smoke in its wake. The dragon circled twice, its massive wings sending human forms flying through the air with immense downdrafts, before finally apparently deciding on a place to land and slamming into the earth. Its form momentarily obscured by the plume of dust that was kicked up in its wake.

For the Etherious, the where the dragon landed was simply a random spot behind the Fiorian lines. But for the united Fiorian army the place the apocalyptic dragon landed was one of the worst it could possibly be.

Acnologia had landed in the dead center of the command center, crushing the backbone of their army under its massive claws.

* * *

Natsu ran, he ran faster than he had ever run before with panic in his eyes and his breathing coming in ragged gasps.

He had seen the damn dragon land exactly where he was headed. An image of his blonde partner flashing through his head the moment the earth stopped shaking. He moved through the battlefield so fast that the forms he moved past were simply blurs, Natsu not even registering whether or not they were friend or foe. He could tell that Alva was right on his heels, her own breathing panicked as well, but the Fire Dragon Slayer couldn't care less.

He needed to make sure; he had to ensure Luce was ok. That was the only thing that mattered now that he had obtained strength.

Natsu summated the last mound, knowing that on the other side was the tent that Luce and her demon compatriots were using as their headquarters, but stopped and forgot to breath at what he saw on the other side.

Gone were the structured tents that the Guild masters and military leaders were using as the headquarters of their forces, gone was the sadly smiling Blonde mage that he had brought with him from Hargeon.

All he could see was a blue haired man standing on the crumpled remains of the once white tent, a feral grin on his face as he impaled a limp blonde haired girl through the stomach. The two human shapes outlined by the raging fires that were consuming their surroundings.


	36. Chapter 36

Natsu barely registered the horrified scream of Alva as she joined him in viewing the now destroyed command tents. He couldn't understand the startled and panicked voices that were calling out though the mental link, each one desperately trying to figure out what had happened. And he most certainly didn't feel all the aches and pains that he had accumulated over the course of the battle. None of that mattered in the face of the nightmare before him, a nightmare that almost overlapped with his memories of that one horrible night in Crocus.

"Luce…LUCE!" he all but screamed as he barreled forward at the man who still had his blonde partner impaled on his fist, Natsu's flames springing to life faster than they ever had before and with such power that whatever pieces of fabric hadn't already been destroyed burst into flames so fast that they all but evaporated in the heat.

But unfortunately the man reacted just as fast; noticing the approaching meteor that was Natsu, tossing Lucy unceremoniously to the side, and reaching out with a single hand all in the span of a few seconds, his arrogant smile remaining on his face all the while.

Natsu barreled into the man with such strength that the earth behind the man exploded, bits of stone melting in mid air from the shear heat of their clash. But even with the fury that was now fueling Natsu's attack the bastard remained exactly where he was, his face not even looking strained from the effort of holding off his attack.

 _It's just like Gildarts back on Tenrou._ Natsu managed to think through the fury filled haze as he leapt back for a moment and lashed out with his leg, not even consciously thinking about how he should attack and simply relying on pure fury filled instinct to guide his attacks.

But nothing he did seemed to matter to the cloak wearing man, as he was easily holding off each and every attack the enraged dragon slayer sent his way and was beginning to look even more battle crazed, his smile growing more feral as he continued to block Natsu's attacks.

"These flames…this smell…I see! So the time's finally come then!" He all but shouted beginning to laugh manically. Or he was, up until he was entirely covered in blackish green flames, blasting Natsu clear of the dragon in human form and into a nearby dirt mound.

As Natsu struggled to stand he looked over in the direction the attack came from to see a dragonfied Alva, tears escaping from her eyes only to vaporize before they could even get a few inches down her cheeks, her body surrounded in her own flames.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!" She screamed as she took yet another deep breath and released a roar that put her previous one to shame, the vast quantity of flames roaring so loud that it sounded like the air was screaming.

But the man that had attacked Lucy only continued to laugh, placing his hands forward like he was going to catch a ball. And then, when the fire was only a few inches away from washing over him again he did something that even Natsu had to admit was impressive; he grabbed the fire and ripped it apart like it was just made up of paper. The two halves of her green flames barreling past him harmlessly to detonate a few seconds later, sending blast waves billowing out in all directions.

"And to find not only the promised dragon here but another one too, and one that has the blood of demons in its blood? That bastard was true to his word…how magnificent."

Natsu clenched his teeth so hard that he practically heard them shattering, he wanted nothing more than to just tear the shirtless man in front of him to pieces, but at that moment nothing was more important than making sure that Luce was still alive. And since the blue haired bastard was currently distracted by Alva. Luce was always his priority after all.

But as Natsu slowly began to make his way over to where Lucy had fallen Alva remained fixated on the man before them, her draconic instincts in full swing. Her tail swinging back and forth as she held herself back from attacking the clearly superior fighter.

"You…I know you…I know this smell! Uncle Igneel made sure I memorized it from the scales he took from you!" Alva growled out as her tail whipped against the ground, shattering the broken stones underneath. "You're… Acnologia!" she all but shouted, pointing one of her scaled fingers at the blue haired man, said man only smirking victoriously in response.

"I admit that I am slightly disappointed that two of the last remaining dragons in this world cannot recognize me. But I am indeed the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse; Acnologia." The man declared as the battle lust faded from his eyes for a moment, leaving him looking almost bored with the destruction that surrounded him.

For the second time in the last hour Natsu froze up, his mind not able to keep up with what he had just heard. _This bastard is Acnologia? The bastard who screwed up old man Gildarts? The same dragon who tried to kill us on Tenrou? He's…he's the one who tried to kill Luce?_ He eventually managed to think through all of the confusion, completely forgetting about Lucy for a moment as he stared up at the bastard.

"And now that the introductions are out of the way…" Acnologia started too murmured before vanishing from sight, only to reappear right in front of Natsu's face. "Try to entertain me for awhile last of Earthlands dragons!" He finished as he lashed out, striking only seconds after Natsu got his guard up.

 _Strong!_ Natsu barely managed to think in a panic as the bastard sent him flying through the air, only for him to be caught a second later by Alva who used her draconic wings to catch him in mid air.

"…too strong…we need to work together." Was all she murmured, her voice deadly and quiet. Natsu for his part said nothing, merely nodding his head in agreement. At that point Natsu would be willing to work with Zeref again if it meant taking down this guy. A second later Natsu felt Alva's tail wrap around his midsection before he was tossed at a breakneck speed, a hail of green fireballs following after him in order to cover his advance. But Acnologia didn't even move, he simply remained where he was as he watched Natsu fly at him.

 **"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art; Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"** He shouted as he began to spiral, pulling some of Alva's flames into his attack as he spun. The mass of twirling fire struck the black dragon head on, sending him skidding backwards but otherwise doing nothing but burning his cloak.

"Not enough…this is not nearly enough to satisfy my lust for battle! Don't tell me all those years of waiting did nothing to improve your power, I'm disappointed in you fire dragon!" Acnologia taunted as he reached out faster than Natsu could follow, grabbed him by the head, and slammed his skull into the ground, creating a not so insignificant crater.

But Natsu was far from done, as the moment the dragon man had finished Natsu lashed out with a leg and knocked him off balance, sending him tumbling to the ground and giving Natsu an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

" **Fire Dragons Roar!** " He shouted before releasing his own torrent of flame, sending Acnologia rolling away from the sheer force of the blast, rolling directly into the path of Alva.

" **Fel Fire Dragons Roar!** " She shouted out, sending her own flames crashing into Natsu with explosive force, shaking the land under their feet. But even with the swilling green and red flames neither slayer thought that they were done with him yet, both instinctively knowing that they had to give it their all if they wanted to stop this bastard. Before the smoke had even begun to fade Natsu unleashed his Lighting-fire dragon mode while Alva forced out even more of her draconic blood, her form becoming more and more dragon like with each passing second.

 **"Lightning Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" "Fel Dragons Demonic Flame!"** The two shouted their respective attacks once again striking the Black dragon within seconds of each other. The sheer quantity of fire released scorching the clouds and turning the rock under their feet into glass. Natsu couldn't help but fall to his knees shortly after unleashing his attack, his body shaking slightly from magical exhaustion. Their impromptu magical assault surely had to at least put a dent in him…right?

"…Heh…ha ha…ha ha ha HA! Yes, this is it! This is the battle I was promised!" Acnologia laughed from within the cloud of smoke, swiping his hand through the air to dissipate the smoke to reveal that besides for a few minor burns and bruises in places he was perfectly all right, grinning like there was no tomorrow for a moment before frowning slightly. "But this is still not enough to satisfy me…alright then, let's go with that." He murmured to himself before nodding and grinning to himself.

"What the hell are you mumbling about?" Natsu cursed as he exchanged glances with Alva, trying to confirm the timing of their next attack.

"This of course." Acnologia answered as he reached into his cloak, withdrew something dark red, and tossed it at Natsu. The fire dragon slayer instinctively caught it and at first thought that it might have been some kind of trap, but when he looked down at the object that had been tossed to him her couldn't help but choke on his breath.

In his hands was a dark red dragon scale, a dragon scale that smelled exactly like his dad.

"You…how…" Natsu murmured as he gripped the scale so hard that it cut into his skin, his blood barely noticeable against the dull red of his pops.

"Up till seven years ago it was nothing more than a trophy of one of the greatest fights I've ever been involved in. but then an old foe gave me an idea, an idea that would create a foe more powerful than any I had fought before…and to think, all it required of me was to write a letter and to rub that scale on it. I wouldn't have believed him if it weren't for the fact that here you are."

Natsu couldn't process what was happening, the sound of his own blood flowing through his veins blocking out everything, even the words of warning that Alva was shouting at him. Not only did this bastard attack Luce…he…he was the one who wrote that letter? He was the one who tricked Natsu into betraying one of the most important friends in his life? It was his fault that the love of his life had to spend seven years of her life away from her family?

"That's right Natsu Dragneel. I'm the one who sent you that letter, all so you could grow strong enough to provide me with a suitable challenge…so come then, dragon of flames, come and provide me the battle I was promised."

In that moment Natsu couldn't help but clench his teeth and fists, everything they had been put through, the strain Luce was under, all so that a dragon could have a fight? He couldn't accept this…he wouldn't accept this. _All of this…everyone who tries to take what is mine…they…can all just…_ _ **BURN**_. And with that final thought, Natsu's consciousness was consumed by his blood red flames, the flames signaling the return of the demon known as E.N.D.

* * *

Alva watched in surprise as blood red flames erupted around Igneel-smelling Betrayer in such massive quantities that she couldn't help but take a step back and lower her head reflexively. Normally she would have never been intimidated by the weaker slayer, but it wasn't just her draconic instincts that were screaming at her to be careful. Whatever this fire was her demonic instincts were just as wary.

"Hoh? So is this the power that demon bastard spoke of that day? Interesting…perhaps this fight won't be as disappointing as I thought." Acnologia commented as the blood red flames continued to climb higher into the sky.

"What is this? What did you do?" Alva growled out as she watched Natsu's form within the fire begin to shift, strange black swirls appearing along his exposed flesh while two horns, quite similar to her own, sprouted from his skull.

"I simply told him the truth, that I was the one who took everything he once held precious." Evil-smelling Dragon returned as he looked over his shoulder at her. At first Alva wasn't able to follow what he was talking about, her mind not able to process logic with so much fury coursing through her veins, but after a few seconds everything fell into place.

 _Wait…Evil-smelling Dragon was the one who sent that letter!? Not Death-mage? How did Demon-Bastard get this wrong? Did Sister-Luce know?...eh, I don't need to worry about this. I just need to destroy Sister-Luce's enemies, and Evil-smelling Dragon is her enemy._ Alva couldn't help but think in a panic as she looked over to where Sister-Luce had fallen, not even remotely surprised to see that she had vanished at some point. _About damn time Demon-Bastard…now to fire out what to do about this._

Slowly Natsu began to move forward, each step almost looking like it was difficult for him as the crimson flames burned around his form. Alva had to admit, as much as she hated him, she knew that something was very wrong and that it was on her now to make sure that the Igneel-smelling Betrayer didn't do anything stupid…or anything more stupid than what he normally did.

"Dragneel! What are you doing?" She questioned as she leapt next to the now almost nostalgic looking fire dragon slayer, his form now so much like her own that it almost felt like they really were related. "Have you always been able to do tha-." She started to ask before being caught in the side of her head by Natsu's foot, sending her spinning away with a surprising amount of force. She nearly let her rage take over then and there, fully intending to rip him a new one for daring to hit her, but when she glared up at the fool she couldn't help but stop.

The Igneel-smelling Betrayer wasn't looking at her with eyes filled with cockiness like normal, or even wearing the grin she nearly always saw on his face. Instead, his eyes looked almost dead, staring through her like she didn't even exist as his flames all but reached for anything that was close, the ground smoldering under the heat.

"…Fool. How could you lose control? This is why uncle Igneel would be disappointed in you." She murmured quietly as she took another step back, completely understanding the situation. She could question why or how Natsu had a demonic form so well hidden that she didn't even notice it later. For now she had to show her adopted cousin that even if he was out of control, she still wasn't going to lose to him, whether it came to dragon power or demon power.

* * *

When the shadows faded from Lucy's vision she was in an entirely different place than what she remembered, the world around her covered in blood red flames.

"Wha…what just…guh!" She asked as she started to sit up, sucking in a breath at the pain in her chest, a pain that hadn't been there the last time she was aware of her surroundings. Looking down at her chest, Lucy at first couldn't believe what she was seeing; a hand sized hole that was covered in a place white light, a light that was slowly but surely closing the gaping wound.

"Oh sweet mother of…what the hell happened?!" Lucy screamed in surprise as she gingerly reached out for her chest in order to try to figure out what happened, but was stopped when someone grabbed her hand.

"Please sit still for a moment Lucy, I cannot guarantee your survival if you move before I finish administering first aid. A woman's worried voice called out from her side, Lucy staring over at her side to see someone she never expected to see again.

"Lucina? How did…no way! Did I die?!" Lucy questioned blankly at first before feeling an almost overwhelming panic, the lord of redemption placing a firm hand on her chest to keep her from sitting up.

"Not yet, though you certainly came close after that last attack." Lucina commented with a sigh as she gestured down at the still decently sized hole in Lucy's chest. "Had the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse struck you just a few inches to the left he would have damaged your already weakened heart. And in all honesty, if it weren't for the fact that your blood does not actively flow you would have passed on before I could aid you."

"Oh…well thanks for that then." Lucy eventually said with a humorless laugh, trying hard to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "But now that I think about it, how are you even here? I don't remember trying to summon you or anything so why…?"

"I was the one who called her here Milady." Abaddon answered, the Lord of Pride manifesting from a nearby shadow so suddenly that Lucy couldn't help but squeak in surprise. "As you were unconscious I seized control over your magic and forced your pacts to switch over to Divinities as opposed to Sin…at great cost to myself if I might add." He added at the end with an exhausted sigh, neither woman even remotely believing him for even a second.

"Right…well then, would one of you please tell me what's going on? Because with all these flames around I wouldn't doubt that I died and ended back up in Underworld." Lucy eventually asked as she looked around at the surrounding flames, the ground occasionally rumbling from far off impacts all the while.

"Nothing good, I can assure you of that. After the black dragon appeared I was forced to move you through my shadow, and therefore was unable to keep track of the battle. From the magical energies in the air it appears that Alva and Mr. Dragneel have engaged Acnologia, but as far as why that accursed dragon has shown itself or what exactly is happening I cannot fathom its purpose.

"Well then why don't you use your shadows to find out what exactly going on?" Lucy questioned from her spot on the ground, Abaddon performing an elaborate bow before snapping his fingers, activating his spell. A second later the shadows of the three beings present gathered in the center of their little hideaway, creating what almost looked like a hole in the world as they did so.

For a few seconds nothing out of the ordinary happened, making Lucy think the spell might have failed at first, but after a moment an image of flame appeared on the other side, flames that were clearly not of this world. The fires ate at everything they touched, from the remains of the pavilions to the earth itself, moving almost like they had a mind and desire of their own to erase life. For minute or so there was nothing to see but flames on the other side of the darkness, but when shadows began to dance in between the flames Lucy was able to make out human shapes on the other side, shapes that caused her frozen heart to hurt from anxiety.

The first form that she could make out was Alva, the young dragon badly burnt and bleeding in from wounds all over and looking both furious and annoyed at the same time as she all but bounced around avoiding the blood red flames and explosions of bluish energy. She had unleashed more draconic energy than Lucy had ever seen, so much so that she looked like a miniature dragon as opposed to her naturally human form. One of the other forms appeared to be a man in his early thirties, his long blue hair whipping wildly as he leapt after Alva and something else, his eyes wild as a silent laugh escaped from his lips.

But the third form was what really drew her attention. A form that, despite the strange black marks and horns, was impossible for Lucy to get wrong.

"N-Natsu?! What the…what's going on?" Lucy panicked as she stared up at both Lucina and Abaddon, her unease only growing at the surprised looks on their faces.

"That form…an Etherious …no, it feels similar to a natural born demon as opposed to one of Zeref's monstrosities. But then how did he…" Abaddon muttered quietly before noticing Lucy's gaze. "I apologize Milady, I can only guess at what has transpired and from what I can see it appears that Mr. Dragneel has taken on a more demonic form. And due to that power he appears to be attacking both Lady Alva as well as Acnologia." He explained before shrugging slightly. "From what I can see he simply wasn't strong enough to keep control over his power." He continued, Lucy having long ago tuned him out as she looked back down into the shadows.

 _Natsu's got demon powers? But that…that can't be. Is this that whole thing that the Future Lucy told Natsu and the others about? Does that mean that Natsu's…E.N.D?_ She eventually managed to think, the reflection of Natsu in the shadow releasing a torrent of hungry flames, the ground shaking a moment later in response.

A moment later Abaddon appeared to make the connection as well, the demon of pride clapping his hands together with a wide eyed look on his face. "Ah, I see. Then Mr. Dragneel is the magnum opus of the dark mage Zeref…that honestly explains so much about his smell."

"Th-this isn't a time to joke Abaddon! What are we supposed to do now? What's going on with everyone else? Are the Etherious doing now then?" Lucy screamed out as she pushed thoughts of Natsu's origins to the back of her mind, she could leave that question for another day.

"From the mangled remains of your telepathy network it appears that both sides have been thrown into chaos due to those three. Master Makarov has apparently taken charge in your absence and ordered a full retreat. And from what I can tell Lilith is still toying with the leader of the Etherious, his forces holding back for the time being or are simply fleeing en masse from the battle." Abaddon reported as he once again looked down at ongoing free-for-all. "But from what I can see it doesn't matter how far they flee, with the shear strength of those flames and the known power of the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse this land will soon be nothing more than ash and death."

"Now way…you mean everything was for nothing? All our fights, everything we did, and not only will I not be able to get my revenge but everyone in Fairy Tail will die too?"

"I'm afraid so Milady. Against the powers of Zeref's greatest creation and the strongest dragon in the lands no force in Earthland would be enough to stand against it. That is simply the truth of reality." Abaddon easily dashed Lucy's hopes, his serious for once.

"…Lucina! Is there anything you can do to help us? Please!" Lucy begged the Divinity, said spirit turning her head away in shame.

"I am sorry Lucy, but the power of redemption is not a power capable of violent actions…and even if I could, when Abaddon here forced me into your world he greatly damaged the magical pathways you use in order to summon beings from our world. If you try to do anything more…you will only rush to your death."

Lucy couldn't help but blink slowly in shock as the kind Divinity finished her first aid and helped Lucy sit up. Was she really that close to death? Sure, there was a pain in her chest but she just attributed it to the fact that she just recently had a big hole there. But apparently that was just her body telli8ng her that her end was nearly upon her.

"I see…so this is where everything ends." Lucy murmured as she laughed humorlessly. In truth, she wasn't exactly shocked that her end had found her on a battlefield. She just wished that she could have done something for everyone.

"It is true Milady, this is your end, but it might not necessarily end in your defeat." Abaddon spoke up then, drawing shocked gazes from both the women present. "While it is true that no force in Earthland could oppose Acnologia…a force from Underworld might be capable of standing against him."

"Huh? I don't follow." Lucy replied with a frown, trying to figure out the Pride demon's angle.

"Lucy Heartfilia." Abaddon started to speak, his tone more regal than she had ever heard. "Perform a Union Spell with me, unite our power, and reconnect this world with Underworld."

"Abaddon! You cannot be serious!" Lucina shouted as she jumped up, fury etched on her normally kind face. "To ask her to do that, when her soul has been weakened from use of our pacts, would not only ensure her death but risk the destruction of her very soul! You would force this burden on her? A burden even her mother failed to shoulder"

"I would." Abaddon answered immediately. "From the day I first agreed to her pact this was always a possibility of her taking on this burden. This is simply the most prudent time to request this of her."

"Wait, slow down you two. How exactly do you expect me to do something even mom couldn't do? Why would I possibly be able to make that work when I have no idea even how to connect two worlds?"

"You give yourself too little credit Milady. The fact that you so effortlessly summon beings from other worlds regardless whether or not they are demons or celestial spirits speaks volumes of your ability to see through the barriers of reality. Even if you are not aware of it, your power could easily serve as the bond that would unite our two worlds once again…assuming you had the power to fuel such a spell that is."

"…and your saying that by giving you control over my body you could do that?" Lucy murmured as she shakily stood, her body still sore over everything it had been through over the last few minutes.

"Of course, if there's anything that I have pride in it's my ability to weave complex and powerful spells." Abaddon replied with his normal cocky smile for a moment before it faded once again. "However, Lady Lucina here does raise a valid point. Should you attempt this spell there is a very good chance that your soul will be irreparably harmed, and your death is all but assured." He coldly stated, Lucy inadvertently shivering at the talks of her demise. "Even if the spell was not so complicated, by performing a Union Spell with me the spell on your heart will not be able to hold out."

"I see…so I'm as good as dead either way then huh…" Lucy muttered, a sad smile on her face as Lucina placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"Lucy, you don't need to feel like you have to do this. Even without your aid, life will continue to endure."

The three were silent for a moment, the only sounds being the crackling of the flames that surrounded them, but eventually Abaddon cleared his throat and stared at Lucy with a look of borderline compassion.

"I ask you once again… Lucy Heartfilia, will you bind your fate to the pathway between our worlds? Will you sacrifice your life to give our worlds a future?"

Lucy stared down at the ground for a moment before looking back up, the conviction in her eyes giving her answer before she could even answer. "…I will, not for Earthland or Underworld, but for the future of Fairy Tail and my friends."

Abaddon smiled and nodded his head while Lucina sighed heavily but smiled as well. "Lucy, it has been a true honor to work with you. And no matter what happens I will always be willing to welcome your soul into the halls of redemption. Even if your soul has been tainted with the likes of him." Lucina commented as she gestured over her shoulder at a very annoyed looking Abaddon.

Lucy laughed lightly as she stepped forward and hugged the woman, the Divinity returning the gesture almost immediately. "Thanks Lucina…and thank you for giving me the chance to live up to my mom's legacy." And with that the divinity took a step back, whipped the tears from her eyes before smiling, and vanished into a bright light.

For a moment Lucy simply stared at the place where the woman had been, but eventually she turned to Abaddon with a peaceful smile, the Lord of Pride returning the gesture in turn.

"Milady I-." Abaddon started, but was stopped when Lucy held out a hand.

"Ah, don't worry about it Abaddon, you already said your piece before this all started. And plus, that's not really how we work right? You're the demon and I'm the one who summoned you right? I always figured I would have to pay with my life after everything was all said and done."

"In all honesty, I never expected things to develop in this way. But now that we stand here I see no other way." Abaddon replied with a light laugh as Lucy drew a small dagger from her side. "But I must refuse your previous request Milady, as I feel it is my duty to once again praise you. And as the perfect gentlemen that I am I cannot pass up the chance to flatter such a prime example of a woman. So allow me to once again say that I am proud to serve under such a woman, regardless of how our path has ended."

"Right, right…but before we do this there's something I want you to do with my body if we're going to do this. Think of it as a final request if you will." Lucy requested as she passed the blade across her skin, flinching slightly as a thin line of blood appeared on her palm.

"Of course Milady, I shall strive to accomplish whatever you desire…now then, what is it you wish for?"

* * *

Alva wanted nothing more than to scream in frustration as she rolled across the ground in order to avoid another wave of stupid Igneel-smelling Fool's flames, the stupid flames almost pursuing her as she ducked under a collapsed beam, the flames impacting and incinerating her cover in seconds.

"…Damn fool…" She muttered in annoyance as she once again returned to the site of the battle. She could see the Evil-smelling Dragon and her distant cousin still trying to tear each other into bloody pieces. Whatever had happened to her foolish cousin had defiantly given him quite the power boost, as Igneel-smelling Fool shrugged off blows that had previously sent him flying. His flames no longer just singed the Evil-smelling Dragon but leaving burns on his tanned skin.

But the Evil-smelling Dragon wasn't pulling his punches either. He had left a number of incredibly bad wounds on Igneel-smelling Fool and Alva herself had suffered a particularly bad break in her arm, but with her dragon scales instantly hardening around the area she was still able to use the limb, although with pangs of discomfort from time to time.

Alva was just barely holding on at that point, and while it was frustrating beyond compare to not be able to do much, but what could she do at that point? When Sister-Luce originally came up with plans to fight against Death-mage or other insanely powerful foes she would only be supporting Smiling-Demon or Demon-Bastard as they took point. She was supposed to keep Sister-Luce safe or look for opportunities to exploit holes in the opponents guard. and while the dragon part of her loved the thrill of fighting against such powerful opponents, the rational side of her mind was screaming at her to just run as fast as she can.

"Don't stop now boy! I'm not even remotely satisfied with this battle! Keep trying to kill me, burn away everything in front of you! Try your hardest to end me! Only then will this fight be worth it!" Evil-smelling Dragon shouted as he covered his hand in a pale blue light and slammed it into Igneel-smelling Fool, an explosion covering the surroundings the moment his fist met flesh.

But Igneel-smelling Fool didn't seem to care, and instead simply ignored the attack to lash out with his newly acquired horns, slashing the Evil-smelling Dragon across his shoulder. "You…the weaklings here…Zeref…I'll burn you all!" He shouted as another orb of flames broke away from the pyre that he had become, hovering just over his head before breaking apart and showering their surroundings.

 _This is beginning to get on my nerves!_ Alva complained to herself as she ducked down and released her breath attack, her blackish green flames colliding with the blood red ones. At first Alva's flames seemed to be holding off the fire at first, but after a few tense seconds Igneel-smelling Fools flames quickly consumed hers and continued onwards in her direction. That was the secret of his demonic fire; it consumed everything in its path, growing stronger with everything it burned, and pursued its target with almost predatory focus, tracking them around or simply through objects. Already Alva had watched a few unlucky Etherious disappear into the hungry flames when they had approached, their reasons for trying to get involved in the chaotic battle completely irrelevant in the face of his flames.

 _If I wasn't running from them myself I would almost be impressed…almost._ Alva grimly thought as she unfurled her wings and leapt backwards into the air as the bloody flames impacted the place she had been standing in. Alva had wanted to join in the fight, in order to keep the two insane dragons from spreading too much chaos onto the battlefield, but every time she got close the flames would react to her and try to entangle her, only adding to her frustrations.

"I'll say it again…you're a fool Natsu Dragneel." She muttered once again as she tried to twist and avoid the flames, knowing deep down that that with so much fire coming at her there wasn't any real chance that she would be able to avoid the flames.

But contrary to her expectations the flames never even came close to burning her skin. As when they were inches from incinerating her the flames and the land around her was covered in shadows. Alva stopped in mid air as she tried to get her bearings, not really sure what was happening. She could vaguely recognize the magic, the smell coming off of it reminiscent of Demon-Bastard but despite how overwhelming powerful he was Alva had never seen anything close to this level of power from the arrogant demon. This spell was on a scale whole other level.

"Who dares interfere with my fight?" Alva heard the Evil-smelling Dragon shout out in rage. She turned to see both of the enraged dragons entangled in shadows, both straining against their bonds but not able to move even an inch.

But rather than the arrogant laugh of the Demon-bastard Alva heard a woman chuckle lightly from the shadows. The voice both familiar and foreign to her at the same time.

"Oh, I beg your forgiveness, oh Dragon of the Apocalypse. I had only intended to erase these annoying flames but I seem to have unintentionally bound you as well." The woman mocked in a clearly unapologetic tone, a voice that sent a shiver down Alva's spine the moment she managed to place it.

"L-Luce?" she tried to confirm as her draconic hearing picked up on the sounds of someone slowly approaching, the sounds of their footsteps somehow echoing in the darkness around them.

"Almost correct, Little Alva, but at the same time not fully accurate now." Sister-Luce answered as she finally emerged from the shadows, Alva's eyes going wide at her appearance. The armor she had been wearing was gone, replaced by a white ball room dress that almost seemed to shine in the darkness, her hair had somehow changed color, going from the bright blonde it was normally to a shade of black that almost seemed to blend in to the darkness that seemed to cling to her body. But by far the most disarming change was her eyes; the warm brown having changed to an emerald green, green eyes that stared out at them with a look that could only be described as a mixture of contempt and smugness. A look that Alva couldn't have ever seen her savior making at anyone but maybe Igneel-smelling Fool.

But then it hit her, the combination of Sister-Luce's body but Bastard-demon's power? There was only one reason this could happen…and the answer that she arrived at only added fuel to her fury.

"Abaddon! You bastard! What did you do?" She demanded as she flew so fast that she all but teleported to the black haired girls' side, the half dragon having to struggle to keep herself from strangling the arrogant demon.

"I'm hurt Alva, I have done this at Milady's request." Abaddon denied with a pout before turning to the still struggling dragons. "She requested that I make haste to you and aid in the suppression of Dragneel there." She continued as she gestured at the demonic Natsu.

"Demons…burn them…burn them all!" Natsu growled as his body burst into flames once again, the shadows that held him back shrinking away from the heat.

"Such a shame, he has such beautiful flames but no ability to control them…truly a pity." The possessed Lucy muttered almost sadly, a tone that Alva didn't even remotely believe him capable of feeling.

"This isn't a joke Abaddon. How are we supposed to deal with this?" She angrily shouted as Natsu began to slowly stagger over in their direction, his flames continuing to burn away the twisting shadows.

"Oh, you seem to have misinterpreted my presence here Little Alva. I am here to suppress Acnologia for a time. It is your responsibility to wake up our wayward slayer." Abaddon replied indifferently, the dragon slayer turning to glare at her like she had announced they were headed to space.

"…No way. It's not my responsibility to wake the fool up."

"Indeed it isn't, but this is Milady's request. And I know you won't disappoint her." Abaddon returned before smiling widely, Alva inadvertently blushing slightly by pure reflex of seeing Lucy smiling at her. "Well then, I must be off. Do be a dear and don't take too long. There is much we must do after all." And with that Lucy vanished from Alva's side, reappearing right in front of the still immobilized Acnologia, grabbing him by the face, and jumping away with the dragon in tow.

 _Well what am I supposed to do now?_ Alva thought as Natsu lunged at her, the demonic dragon ducking under his blow. For a few minutes the two exchanged blows in close quarters, Alva having figured out that despite not being all there Natsu still wouldn't use his flames with them exchanging blows, Either out of fear of burning himself or for some other reason that she didn't care about. But as they continued to land blows on each other Alva was beginning to grow more furious as time went on. There was no cocky grin on his face like normal; instead his face looked almost passive, like he had no interest in what was happening around him.

"Damn you Natsu! Is this what someone raised by Uncle Igneel does? You're an embarrassment to all dragons!" she shouted as she slammed a flame infused fist into his face, sending Natsu skidding backwards slightly.

That challenge finally seemed to get to him, as his face twisted in fury for a moment before he ran back in. "Shut up…SHUT UP! I won't stop…not until I burn away everything that hurts her…I won't…I won't give her up!" He shouted before sucking in a breath and unleashing a torrent of flame, Alva leaping into the air in order to avoid his attack.

"Huh? Are you that dumb? She isn't yours. Don't be so arrogant!" Alva shouted back as she landed on his skull, forcing him down onto the ground before she began to land punch after punch on his chest. "Why are you so stupid…damndable fool!"

"Shut up!" Natsu once again shouted as he grabbed one of Alva's arms and turned her over so that he was sitting on top of her, his own fists landing on her stomach just as fast as she had been hitting him only moments ago. "She's mine! She has to be! If she…if she goes away again then I can't make up for what I did to her! I can't let her go somewhere I can't follow again!"

 _So it was his betrayal that caused him to lose control…damn fool._ Alva managed to think in between the rain of blows, waiting until he presented a slight opening before slamming her head against his own, sending Natsu reeling backwards.

"Fool! Why do you think that you need to do anything at this point? Didn't she forgive you already? You should already know what you have to do!"

"Well I don't! What the hell am I supposed to do?" Natsu returned as he took a stance, a stance that Alva recognized as his dragon slayer secret art.

Alva however chose not to answer, instead lowering her body to the ground, almost looking like an animal about to pounce on its prey. The two glared at each other as they continued to gather their magical energy in preparation for their attacks, neither one being willing to be the first to attack. But eventually Natsu's already small amount of patience gave out and his magic flared in response to his fury.

 **"Dragon Slayer Secret Art:** **Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"** He shouted, the spiral of blood red flames roaring directly at her. But this is was exactly what Alva had been waiting for. Despite the fact that she wanted nothing more than to deny the truth, Alva knew that she couldn't stand up to her cousins fire. But she had something that Igneel-smelling Fool didn't, something that had been honed over the years of battling against foes like Demon-Bastard and Sister-Luce.

Her reaction speed, her ability to move before anyone else.

She watched for a brief second as the flames approached before activating her own spell, the fel-fire that she had been gathering in her lungs coursing through her body as opposed to spewing from her mouth.

" **Dragon Slayer Secret Art…Fel-Fire Accel Blade.** " She muttered under her breath as the flames went to work. For just a moment her demonic blood and dragon blood mixed in perfect harmony, and that harmony was reflected onto the world around her. The flames, Natsu, even the world itself; all things before her eyes slowed to a crawl as the fel-fire in her blood accelerated both her thought process and reaction speed to godlike levels. But she couldn't use this technique for long, as the fire in her veins would soon burn her from the inside out.

But a moment was all she needed. As the blood red fire crawled forward Alva moved, sprinting forward and ducking underneath the swirl of death before approaching her foolish coursing. She was shocked to see that despite her ungodly levels of speed the Igneel-smelling Fool was actually reacting to her, his eyes slowly beginning to track her movements while his face slowly began to scrunch up in shock. But no matter what he did at this point it was far too late to do anything to her, as the fel-fire in her blood had already been concentrated in her unbroken arm, condensing until it formed a blade of pale green fire along her skin. And with all the strength the young half dragon could muster, Alva struck the enraged pink haired slayer across the chest.

And with that the world began to move once again. The flames that surrounded the two of them were blow away in an instant, the shockwave created by Alva's attack. Both slayers staggered and fell, Natsu from the massive wound on his chest and Alva from the immense pain her body was now in. for a moment both were completely incapacitated, the two slayers simply trying to keep their breathing under control, but eventually Alva began to speak.

"…when we got back from that mission, I asked Luce why she was willing to go back to you…why she was able to love you after everything you did." Alva murmured, all but feeling Natsu tense just off to her side. "At first she couldn't answer, she simply talked about all your faults, how you never listen to others, how you fight at the drop of a hat, how you used to sneak into not only her house but her bed too…but then she talked about how you gave her a home to belong to, a family for the first time since her mom died, and how you were loyal to a fault…up until you tried to kill her that is."

Alva was sure that Natsu was feeling pretty miserable right about then, but she couldn't care less in that moment, there were things that just had to be said. "But even then, even after everything your actions put her through; she still came back to you…and no matter what, you have to live up to her expectations for her remaining time."

For a minute Natsu said nothing, but after awhile he groaned out loud as he struggled to sit up. "Damn…I really screwed up if I need you to tell me off…what the hell was I doing by the way?" He eventually asked causing Alva to sigh in annoyance.

"Feel the top of your head and look at your arms first." She commanded, closing her eyes for a moment as Natsu yelled in surprise.

"What the hell! Horns? And when did I get crazy tattoos?" He questioned to no one in particular. "Did you do something to me while I was out?"

"Don't flatter yourself…but enough of this, Luce still needs our help fighting against Acnologia."

"Oh yea! Where did that dragon bastard go? I still need to tear him a new one for what he did!" Natsu continued to shout as he jumped up, Alva growing somewhat jealous of his ability to bounce back after a fight, not that she would ever admit it out loud.

"We can follow the shadows…that will lead us to Luce." Was all Alva said as she sat up to stare in the direction of two massive magical signatures, fearing what would happen when either one disappeared.

* * *

Lucy looked up from her battle as the oppressive demonic energy faded, her hand all but automatically moving to smack away the unruly dragon before her. If the magic of E.N.D had faded to this degree then that meant that Alva had accomplished the mission she had been given. With Zeref's masterpiece out of commission, at least to the degree he was only minutes ago, that gave Abaddon the freedom of movement that he required.

"You…this magic…I've fought you before." Acnologia murmured in confusion as Lucy turned back to him, her green eyes filled with mirth.

"Indeed we have, oh childish dragon. But now is not the time to reminisce on the past." Lucy started to say before snapping her finger, the sky overhead beginning to crack in response. "Now, it is finally time to begin. Now is the time for my revenge."

 **Finally got this one done, sorry for the delay everyone. next time will be the final chapter (exculding an epiluge if i choose to do one) so look forward to it! Until then!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hey everybody, so i just wanted to take a second to apologize for how long it took for me to get this out, like every other writer on this site it seemed like everything in my life just decided to go wrong at the same time. and with that apology I hope you enjoy this final chapter!**

As Natsu raced through the battlefield he couldn't help but laugh childishly at how fast he was moving. While the horns and strange tattoos were pretty annoying and all, the fact that he could move so fast with so little effort was awesome. He felt stronger than he ever had in his life, even stronger than when he ate that weird blue stone stuff in the tower of Heaven.

"This is awesome! I bet I can beat the crap out of both Erza and Gray like this! Hell, I could probably take them on both at the same time!" Natsu bragged as he leapt off of the head of a random Etherious, the demon's body shattering under the force of the blow.

"…Stop bragging fool, we still have to go and stop the Bastard Dragon and get the Bastard Demon out of Luce." Alva chastised as she kept pace with the now demonfied Natsu.

"Wait what? What the hell are you talking about? Why is there a demon in Luce?" Natsu quickly became serious at the mention of his partner, Alva's face growing more serious as he did so.

"Luce used a union spell to fuse with Abaddon, just like she did during the dragon attack."

Natsu's heart nearly stopped at the mention of that night, the image of the six armed Lucy inadvertently surfacing in his mind. If Lucy did the same thing with the white suited bastard then what was happening to her now.

But Natsu had no more time to think about that night, as the sky overhead was beginning to crack like a pane of glass, the sound of reality shattering echoing through the battlefield.

"Wha-What the hell? Did someone just break the sky?...it wasn't me right? Cuse I don't think Gramps is gonna forgive me breaking something that important." Natsu questioned in a panic as he stared up at the shattered sky.

"No…this is…Abaddon!" Alva muttered in shock as she too stared up at the sky, looking even more concerned than Natsu did. "What the hell is he doing? He knows that Luce's body can't handle this much power!" She shouted as her head whipped back to stare in the direction of the strange shadowy magic, Natsu hesitating for a second before rushing after her.

"Wait! What the hell do you mean? What's happening to Luce!" Natsu shouted after the red haired slayer but Alva either hadn't heard him or was too lost in panic to bother with him as she speed off into the distance.

But luckily for Natsu he didn't have to worry about what she meant for too long, as when the shadows grew longer and thicker the two arrived at their destination. And what Natsu saw there was something that once again drew him back into his memories of that faithful night in Crocus.

"L-Luce? What happened to you? Are you…" Natsu started to ask before his question died in his throat. The woman before him certainly smelled like his partner, but her looks and magic were too foreign to be associated with the blonde celestial spirit mage. Gone was the intricate armor the fire dragon slayer had last seen her in, replaced by a white ball room gown that Natsu couldn't help looked strange on her. Her normally blonde, almost shinny hair was replaced by black hair so dark that it almost looked like it was cut from a cloudy nighttime sky. But by far the creepiest change was her gaze, her now emerald green eyes glaring at him with clear disdain and contempt.

"Ah, so the magnum opus of the dark wizard and the wayward dragon return." Lucy greeted in a clearly sarcastic tone, her left arm pointing in the direction of Acnologia, the dragon king being constantly assailed by shadows, shadows that he constantly beat away only for more to spring up in order to contain him. "Alva, have you reminded that foolish dragon of what his place is?" the black haired mage asked with a warm smile, a smile that made Natsu's skin crawl.

And it appeared that Alva was having none of it either. As the half dragon growled loudly as her flames swelled in proportion to her anger. "No games Abaddon! Release Luce from the spell before you hurt her heart!" She yelled in a tone that clearly showed she wouldn't him to refuse.

But refuse she…he…they did, Lucy laughing like she had heard a once in a lifetime joke. "Oh no, I'm afraid that simply cannot happen. I have far too much to do to simply return her body to her." Abaddon denied, Natsu's own anger flaring in response. But before either of the two enraged dragon slayers could scream at the arrogant demon Acnologia's furious roar drew their attention.

"Damn you demon lord! Fight me fair and square! Your shadows against my might! Come! Let our battle consume this world in fire!" the blue haired dragon half laughed and half screamed, glaring at Lucy as he continued to force away the darkness, The possessed Lucy sighing as he did so.

"I see you are still as uncouth as last time we met." Abaddon sighed with Lucy's voice before grinning confidently. "But I lack the time to deal with such a battle hungry dragon…be gone for now Acnologia, I shall deal with you later." And with that the possessed Lucy swiped her hand through the air. In the next second the shadows in the area seemed to freeze for a moment before all converging on the dragon, covering him so completely that it almost looked like a man sinking into water.

Acnologia growled in shock and fury at first, but as the darkness covered his head even his indignant cries faded. And then, just as fast as they had gathered the shadows dispersed, leaving no traces of the world's most powerful dragon.

"No way…did you just kill him that easily?" Natsu couldn't help but mutter in shock as he stared wide eyed at the spot where the dragon had been, the possessed Lucy laughing at his expense the moment he finished.

"Of course not, even in the flesh of my master could I hold a candle to the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. I have simply moved him somewhere else in Fiore for the moment, as I cannot deal with all these threats at once after all."

"What are you…?" Alva started to ask before another cracking noise echoed through the surroundings as the shattered sky continued to grow worse, an incredibly complex black magic circle appearing at Lucy's feet immediately after.

"Honestly little dragon, I expected better from you. To think that you can't even feel the magic of your homeland emanating from beyond the cracks."

"What the hell kind of nonsense is that? Alva didn't come from a sky crack…did you?" Natsu first denied before staring curiously at his fellow dragon slayer, noticing that rather than the drool expression she normally had she looked like someone had just punched her in the gut.

"No…no way…you're…you're going to open the pathway to Underworld?! There's no way that Luce will survive that! You're going to kill her!" she screamed, Natsu whipping around to gape at the black haired mage, the possessed Lucy simply smiling back.

 _I've got to get this guy out of Luce!_ Natsu thought in a panic as he rushed forward, fully intending to tear apart whatever was intending to harm Lucy. But when his flame infused fist was only inches away from the girl he stopped, Lucy's emerald green eyes staring at him with a mixture of contempt and amusement. _Shit, if I hit her…_

"I'm impressed that you managed to realize in time. If you harm me you shall inadvertently injure your precious partner after all. Quite a predicament to find yourself in huh, false demon of Zeref?" Lucy mocked in an almost sing-songy voice before gesturing with a finger at Natsu, the shadows under her feet lashing out like spears, forcing the fire dragon slayer back and leaving thin trails of blood on his arms.

"Damn it!" He cursed as he looked back at Alva, the young half dragon biting her lower lip as she tried to figure something out. "Now what the hell do we do?"

"…I'm thinking…" Alva muttered as the two had to leap out of the way, a massive blast of shadows occupying the space they had been standing in.

"Now, now; there is no time for you two to discuss things. You don't have the time for such pointlessness." The Abaddon possessed Lucy chastised as she fired off another blast of magic, the two once again forced to dodge.

"Oi Alva!"

"…screw it, we just have to try and force him to use more of his magic! If he uses too much then he won't be able to maintain the connection between them! Hit her with as much as you can!" Alva screamed back as she launched a multitude of greenish fireballs at white dressed Lucy who promptly knocked them away with a multitude of shadows.

"…Damn it; you'd better be right about this!" Natsu shouted back before unleashing his own blood red flames, Lucy leaping into the air in order to avoid them. But Natsu wasn't even close to being done, as he rushed in using the smoke from his fire as cover while at the same time wrapped his flames around his arms. " **Chaos Fire Dragons Wing Attack!** " He shouted as he flew the whips of fire forward as at the black haired mage, intending to take advantage of the fact that she was in midair and therefore couldn't dodge as well. Sure, it might hurt Luce in the long run, but if worst came to worst he could just buy her something to make up for it.

But thankfully he didn't need to worry about how Lucy would take knowing Natsu had hurt her, as before the whips of flame could even get close Abaddon used a shadow to pull her to safety, a confident smirk on her face all the while. "How sad, to think that this is the extent of Zeref's mightiest work. I can't help but wonder why my Milady failed to end you that day in Crocus."

"Don't you dare talk about her! You have no right to mention Luce!" Natsu all but screamed as the Abaddon possessed Lucy landed a few feet away. "And if she's your Milady or whatever she is to you why are you trying to kill her?!" The fire dragon continued, his flames flaring once again. And to his shock his words actually seemed to have an effect on the demonic Lucy, her eyes going wide for a second before she turned away and smiled sadly, the shock in her emerald eyes replaced by an almost longing look.

"…Indeed, if there's one thing that I regret about our situation it is the pain that I have to put Milady through…but at the end of the day, no matter what is done, it was already far too late to save her." But as Abaddon continued the sorrowful look in her eyes was gone, replaced with an accusatory glare. "But the world truly is coming to an end if the man who tried to kill her once is attempting to reprimand me. You, the very man who sent her to me? Such hypocrisy! At the end of the day, you and I are cut from the same cloth boy, two men who desperately seek that which was stolen from us."

"Don't you dare compare me to your sorry ass! I'm trying to save her!" Natsu shouted as he leapt forward, only to be caught mid air by more of the living shadows, a giggle escaping from Lucy's lips as she watched Natsu struggle against the darkness.

"Struck a nerve did I? But I can't say that I'm shocked, you were just as easy to manipulate all those years ago as you are now after all." She laughed, Natsu ceasing his struggles for a moment to stare at her curiously. "No, never mind, there is no reason to bother explaining myself to one soon to die…goodbye Dragneel, I will give your regards to your family." He finished as Natsu felt the shadows around his limbs begin to pull, his bones popping and groaning almost instantly.

But thankfully Natsu didn't have to suffer through being drawn and quartered, as right when the pressure on his limbs became almost too much to bear a shadowy wind swept through the area, the shadows dissolving under the assault. Natsu and Alva whipped their heads around in shock, trying to determine where the oppressive dark magic was coming from. But Abaddon's reaction was nearly the exactly opposite, her emerald eyes glaring into the surrounding smoke with a look of barely contained rage.

"Ah, so you finally decided to show yourself, oh darkest of mages?" Abaddon mocked as a man walked slowly through the smoke to glare at Lucy, a man that Natsu recognized after the few seconds it took to ignore the soreness in his limbs.

"Oy Zeref! What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were saying that you couldn't show up with all the demons around or something like that?" He shouted, Zeref not taking his eyes off the still furious fellow shadow user in front of him.

"You and your comrades have dealt with enough of them at this point that I don't need to worry…and besides, even with your true power unleashed you two half demons don't stand a chance against a furious Lord of Sin. Not to mention your connection to me only fuels his fury."

"…Eh? Abaddon is angry? His smile looks just like normal to me." Alva muttered as she glanced at the still possessed Lucy, the black haired mage smiling back at her.

"Oh, he's actually not that far off Little Dragon. I'm angrier than I've been in nearly three hundred years. In all honestly the only reason I haven't blown those two away is due to your presence here and the fact that I must conserve Milady's energy in order to reform the bridge of the worlds…a bridge that our resident dark mage here knows about all too well, isn't that right Zeref? After all, you were the one who shattered it originally."

All eyes whipped around to gape at Zeref, the man in question not responding beyond simply clenching his hands and glaring back at the clearly spiteful Abaddon, a cloud of death magic beginning to form around his body.

"…Huh? What the hell does that mean?" Alva questioned in a tone that Natsu had never heard her use before, almost sounding hurt by that revelation.

Ah yes, the legends stating that the black wizard was the root of all evil were not far off." Abaddon explained before sadly staring up into the still shattering sky. "But at the end of the day, all of this is simply because I cannot forgive what that man has done…Zeref, you will pay for taking one of the things I took the most pride in!" She shouted as she flung her right hand forward, the shadows surging forward and colliding with Zeref's shadowy wind, the two forces canceling each other out.

"You talk about things you don't understand! You only know about what happened afterwards, not what we went through in order to arrive at that decision!" Zeref shouted back, Natsu surprised to hear honest to god anger in his voice for the first time since he had started to train him in the use of his new flames. Zeref wasted no time in creating an orb of darkness that hovered just over his palm, the orb flying forward at Lucy only seconds later. Natsu cried out in shock, having seen what those shadowy orbs could do from said training sessions, but before he could even move to deflect it from impacting his possessed partner Abaddon's own shadows rose like a twister around her body, the dark orb striking the barrier, expanding, and vanishing only a moment later.

"I do not care what reasons you had! You took and sacrificed my only daughter in your desire to revive the dead!" Abaddon shouted back in Lucy's voice, her voice filled with rage while both Natsu and Alva froze up once again.

"Wha…daughter?" Alva stuttered as Abaddon laughed, his shrill laughter sounding almost maniacal

"Oh yes, I had momentarily forgotten that there are those among us who are yet unaware of the truth." She commented before once again glancing at Zeref. "Then shall we have a few minutes of story time then? After all, I have nothing but time to kill as my spell continues to bend reality."

"I don't give a shit about your story! Let Luce go!" Natsu shouted before lunging forward once again, only to have a whip of darkness wrap around his throat and fling him through the air. The furious dragon slayer coughing wetly after striking one of the many crumpled and smoldering embankments after being swung away.

"I would appreciate no more interruptions thank you very much." Abaddon warned before once again turning to stare down Zeref, said man simply glaring back but not taking action. "Long ago, when the two realms were one, it wasn't uncommon for demons to be summoned into Earthland by mages seeking power or those who were simply too arrogant for their own good. For years we demons feasted on these fools, slaughtering in their name and taking from them everything they held precious…but one day a mage of particular strength sought out the strength of pride demons. A mage cursed with immortality who sought the answer to reviving his long deceased brother. And so he accomplished something that no other mage up till that point had managed to do; he summoned a direct descendant of my bloodline. My daughter, Lilim."

Alva watched as Zeref tensed for a moment at the mention of the name, a name that Alva vaguely recognized. Before being found by Sister-Luce and the bastard that was currently possessing her she had been more than willing to threaten her with legends of the most powerful arch demons in the realm. And chief among those mythical beings was a pride demon who took great pleasure in breaking others and leaving them husks of what they were, a demon known as Lilim.

"Yes Alva, it is likely who you are thinking of." Abaddon confirmed, apparently reading Alva's expression, before continuing. "She was an exemplarily Pride demon, twisting the hubris of others into whatever she desired…but all that changed when she was summoned by Zeref here." She spat before launching another attack, shadowy beams erasing the surroundings and forcing all three to dodge in response. "For twenty years she was gone from our world, one of the longest single summons in recorded history, but rather than receiving just rewards she was betrayed, not only dooming the pathway between worlds but herself as well. The moment the gateway shattered I could tell that her soul was trapped in between the realms, not dead and no longer alive."

Lucy's scowl only deepened as her gaze landed on Zeref once again. "With the destruction of the gate we could no longer move in between the worlds easily. And as such I was forced to send my shadows into Earthland in order to determine exactly what had happened. For hundreds of years I was only able to learn bits and pieces of the truth. Rumors of a powerful mage, legends of demons, and whispers of what the few remaining dragons in Earthland were fighting against…and at long last I learned the truth; that Zeref there had used my daughter as a catalyst in order to create his most powerful demon…you Natsu Dragneel. Once again you are the cause for everyone's suffering." Abaddon accused before a wall of flames washed over her form, the demon possessed Lucy not even flinching as the fires licked at her shadowy barrier.

"I don't give a shit what reasons he had or what you went through. You're trying to harm Luce and I won't just sit here listening to ya' talk." Natsu growled out, wisps of flames escaping from his lips.

But Lucy appeared unimpressed, glaring lightly at the enraged dragon slayer. "Oh? Are you certain about that? Even if I could tell you exactly how Acnologia came to the decision of forcing you to kill the one most precious to you?"

Natsu was getting awfully tired of being shocked by people making claims, but even still he couldn't help but flinch at his possessed partner's statement. "Wha…?"

"It's quite simple actually. After discovering the reason behind why Zeref banished my daughter I vowed to right the wrongs I suffered. For centuries I waited patiently, watching the events of your world with a patience that even Lord Aedia would be proud of. And then, only a few years after the remaining dragons were banished from Earthland I finally had my chance. I discovered that you, Natsu Dragneel, and quickly detected the foul stench of Igneel on you. And it was then that I realized how to break what Zeref found most precious. I used my shadows to influence the dragon of the apocalypse, implanting him with the idea that in order to create the most powerful of adversary he needed to manipulate events using one of his many trophies taken from the dragons. Using the same shadows that discovered you, I learned who you found most precious and had the foolish dragon forge a false letter from your foster father."

The possessed Lucy then began to laugh lightly, like a debutant who was the only one aware of a joke. "In truth, my plans could not have gone any better! Not only did you suffer for what you did to Milady, but by your hand you delivered to me a perfect vessel for retrieving my daughter." She continued before curtsying to Natsu. "So thank you, Natsu Dragneel, without your stupidity none of us would be here today."

"You bastard! I'll rip you from Luce and kill you for this!" Natsu threatened as he rushed forward, the shadows around him sharpening and lashing out with intent to kill. But unlike the last time the shadows reached for him Natsu was beyond furious and his flames responded to his anger. Burning away anything that came close and burning through the air with such ferocity that it sounded almost like the roar of every fire dragon in existence.

But Abaddon wasn't about to let himself be struck by Natsu, as before Natsu could even get close she sunk through the shadows around her feet and reappeared a few feet away, warily watching Natsu. Said fire dragon slayer was about to pursue his prey, still seething over what the Lord of Pride revealed, but was stopped when Zeref grabbed him by the scarf. The most famous of all dark mages not even flinching under the withering glare Natsu sent his way.

You can't go in there like that Natsu, if you don't control your flames then all you will accomplish is the death of his host…you hold her in high regards right?"

"What kind of question is that?" Natsu growled back, his blood red flames incinerating any death magic that attempted to escape from Zeref's control.

"Then you need to calm down. As you are now you will only hasten her to her death." Zeref continued, Natsu hesitating for a moment before both had to leap out of the way.

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Think for a moment. The Celestial Spirit King cannot stand such unholy magic coursing through his champion's body and is likely fighting off the Lord of Pride as we speak. And as such Abaddon must use most of his magic in order to fight off the King of the stars. Not to mention the fact that reconnecting the worlds must be immensely difficult for him to maintain. As such, his connection to his host is likely tenuous at best."

"Your just talk'n in circles! If you're not gonna make sense then I a-." Natsu started to shout before Alva elbowed him in the gut, sending Natsu into a coughing fit before the half dragon glared at the dark wizard.

"You will tell me how to save Luce…now." She threatened, Zeref completely undisturbed by the young girl's attitude.

"It's simple, we need to force him to lose concentration and lose control over his magic. If he cannot maintain these two things then he will no longer be able to remain in control of her body."

"Like I asked before, what the hell are we supposed to do?!" Natsu growled again, Zeref sending him a pointed look before continuing.

"…You need to hit her with your new fire Natsu."

"…You have got to be kidding me! Even if I could hit her with now that she's possessed and all, if I did that then I'm just gonna end up hurting Luce! No way in hell am I gonna do that again!" Natsu cursed loudly as Alva sent a burst of greenish flames at the possessed celestial mage before glaring at the other fire dragon slayer.

"Don't be naive fool…we can't afford to pull punches if we're going to save Luce." Alva growled out, her fury and frustration at the situation clearly evident in her voice.

Natsu couldn't help but growl in frustration as well, his eyes studying the ground just under his feet. Deep down he knew that they were right, that he could use his flames to burn just the bastard demon inside Lucy instead of her flesh. But at the same time he couldn't help but be reminded of that stormy night, the night that sent them down this horrible road. _If I can't control it again…wont Luce just end up just like she did that night? Can I…can I even control them that well? I can't hurt her like that again!_

But Natsu had no more time to worry about what could happen, as a second later something struck his head with enough force to send him staggering backwards. His confusion and anxiety were instantly replaced by anger as he glared back up. "Oy! What the hell was that for!" he screamed out at Alva, the half dragon returning his glare with equal if not more fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You're the only one who can save Luce now! Why the hell are you hesitating? Isn't she your partner? Didn't you claim you would make up for what you did to her?"

"You don't get it! I promised her that I wouldn't hurt her ever again! I can't afford to burn her again! Not while she still has scars from the last time!" Natsu screamed back, the anger and frustration that had been building since the Grand Magic Games coiling painfully in his stomach. "I just can't!"

"No, you don't get it! It isn't about what you can and can't do! It's about what you have to do!" Alva screamed back, tears leaking from her eyes. "Despite being so mad at how easily you were tricked, uncle Igneel always talked about how you could do anything you put your mind to! Even Luce, even when we were planning to hurt you for what you did to her, talked about how no matter the odds you managed to win in the end, how it was one of her greatest comforts back in those days!" Natsu couldn't help but take a step back at the force in Alva's tone while at the same time feeling a swell of pride that Luce had felt that way about him, but Alva wasn't finished with him yet. "As frustrating as it is, I can't save Lucy, my flames only burn…so it's up to you Natsu. You're the only one who can save her."

Alva's reprimand struck the fire dragon slayer with even more force than any punch from Gray, causing his eyes to widen as he gazed down at his clenched fists as he considered his fellow fire dragon slayers words. _She's right…for once in my life I can actually save someone with my fire rather than just burn shit down. And maybe…maybe I can finally make up for what I did that night._

The doubts Natsu had been dealing with had apparently vanished from his face as he looked up, Alva nodded in grim satisfaction before turning to Zeref, her eyes narrowing as she fought against the instinct to attack the man who had been the target of their guild for almost eight years. "I don't know how you intend to make this idiot not burn Luce, but I'll buy you the time you need. Just make sure he does it right, or I'll be coming for you next." She warned, and before anyone could say anything more, she leapt at the patiently waiting Abaddon, who was simply smiling at the dragon slayer now covered in pale green flames.

The two Dragneels were silent for a moment before Zeref began to chuckle lightly, Natsu staring at him like he had lost his mind. "You know; while a part of me always wished that I had been involved more in your life, I cannot help but feel grateful to Igneel for raising you as he did. As without his help you wouldn't have met such interesting characters and would have been forced to spend time with my less than stable demons."

"Oh ya, don't think I forgot about that whole thing that Abaddon was talking about. You are gonna explain that whole resurrecting me and me being related to you after we're done here." Natsu threatened, Zeref smiling patiently at him for a second before his face turned serious.

"Don't worry, once this war is over I'll have plenty of time to answer your questions before I must move on. This war has provided me with more than enough death after all." He muttered sadly, the end of his sentence so quiet that Natsu barely managed to hear it. "But before then you must receive a crash course in burning a soul as opposed to the body. Normally, this sort of technique would take years of practice in order to perform with any semblance of skill. But we have not the time nor do you have the lifespan to learn such…and so I will be forcing the information into your mind." Zeref explained as he held up his right hand, the appendage glowing with a black light. "Be prepared for pain."

* * *

Alva couldn't help but growl in annoyance as Abaddon once again laughed at her vain attempts to distract him, the normally enjoyable sound of Luce's laugh now the equivalent of nails on a chalk board.

"Honestly, I'm growing more and more disappointed with you Alva. To think that you would struggle pointlessly against the inevitable, as you of all people know just how strong I am." Lucy laughed as she gestured casually at the half demon, the shadows surging forward like piranhas devouring a carcass, Alva just barely jumping out of the way in time. "What do you even expect to happen? You and I both know that even if you put your faith in that foolish dragon slayer he cannot change what is to come."

"You mean beyond the fact that you're controlling the only person I care about?" Alva spat out before launching balls of flame seemingly at random, the possessed Lucy only taking a few steps in order to avoid the attacks. "Because if there's one thing I learned from talking to people from Fairy Tail it's that Natsu doesn't lose once he sets his mind to something, and that if anyone can save Luce's heart its him."

"Ha! You're fighting for a delusion, and I for one refuse to let that bastard Zeref continue to benefit off of the pain of others. I for one will take back what he stole from me. And if the world benefits from my desires then so be it." Lucy announced as she narrowed her eyes, the shadows around her body coiling like serpents. "And if you continue to stand in my way then I will send you to the next life."

Alva shuddered as each cell in her body screamed at her to flee, her draconic instincts clearly terrified of the power before her. But the red head refused to give in to her natural desire. She refused to abandon Sister-Luce in her time of need, not when the caring blonde had saved her in her most desperate hour. But at the same time…what was she supposed to do?

It was while Alva was thinking about her options that aid came from three different directions, aid that Alva hadn't been expecting in the least.

 **"Circle sword!"**

 **"Ice Make: Lance!"**

 **"Sky Dragon's Roar!"**

Three shouts echoed out simultaneously as the respective magic's flew forward at the black haired mage, said possessed celestial spirit summoner repelling the attacks with ease but a look of annoyance on her face as she did so. As the smoke cleared, Alva was shocked to see the other three human mages on Sister-Luce's old team standing before her, their faces grim but determined.

"Y-you…why…" Alva questioned in a daze, not having expected the people that had once been their enemies to come to her aid.

"The Master organized the remaining members of our Guild and used Warren to inform us of what has transpired." Scarlet-Warrior declared as she pointed her blade at possessed blonde. "While I admit that I do not understand exactly what has transpired, it is clear that whatever is happening here needs to be stopped."

"Heh, always thought that suit wearing bastard was off somehow. Can't say that I'm upset at the chance of throwing off his plans, plus this is my chance." Ice-stripper smirked as he tossed his shirt to the side, his face grim despite the joking tone he was taking.

"I-I may not like fighting, but I'll do what I can to save Lucy!" Sky-child added on, looking just as determined as the other two despite how weak Alva considered her to be.

"You all are…no, it's nothing." Alva started to question why they would put themselves in harm's way for a fight that wasn't their business anymore, but stopped and shook her head. If they wanted to fight to save Luce who was she to question their motives? "We need to keep Luce here for the moment while Natsu prepares a way to deal with her."

"I see…I am not happy with leaving this to Natsu after his previous betrayal of Lucy, but I will wait to punish him until later. Gray! Wendy! Do not hold back, this demon's strength is equal, if not greater, to that of Master Hades." Erza ordered as she requiped into her Adamantine Armor.

"Oh, are you finished with your little strategy meeting? Then you should probably attack soon, as there isn't much time left in more than one ways." Abaddon taunted as a massive complex magic circle appeared in the sky, a startled scream escaping from the Sky-Child's mouth at the sight of it. "I have already begun to reconnect the two worlds. If you truly plan to fight against the inevitable now would be the most opportune time, with my attention divided between the spell and holding off that uptight king." Abaddon taunted before smiling and holding out her palm, the shadows flying upwards at his command.

The four mages hesitated for a brief second, each one exchanging glances with the others in order to confirm the timing, before each of them launched forward and unleashed their own attacks. The timing wasn't perfect, as Alva hadn't had time to coordinate with them before, but not a single one hesitated before unleashing their most powerful attacks at the black haired mage, each instinctively understanding that they couldn't afford to pull their punches despite the fact that it was their teammate's body. But despite the rain of swords, ice, wind, and fire not a single attack reached the green eyed mage. The shadows rising in her defense or instead she would simply smack away the blades or ice with the back of her hand, shattering them on impact all while she maintained her condescending smile.

"While I can't say that I don't enjoy being kept from my goal, I've had enough entertainment for the afternoon. So if you would be so kind as to-." Lucy started to say as a loud roar shook the world, a roar that everyone present recognized.

"Acnologia! I thought you made him disappear?" Alva shouted as Lucy looked up into the sky with a frown.

"Of course not, I simply trapped him inside the planet for a time. There are very few forces in the world that can stop that dragon after all…but his presence here so soon after I banished him is troubling." Lucy explained and thought out loud as she stared at the massive magical circle covering the crack in the sky. "I suppose that it's about time for me to stop fooling around with the children then." She announced as she disappeared from Alva's line of sight before reappearing right in front of the shocked half dragon, her thin fingers wrapped around her throat with steel-like strength. "Goodbye, young Alva. I can't say that I disliked your company over the years."

As her vision began to fade Alva could barely make out the shapes of Luce's old companions rushing forward only to be intercepted by shadows. She tried desperately to escape from the hand around her throat, but Abaddon's grip on her didn't lessen in the least. _L-Luce…I-I'm...sorry._

But before she could completely black out, someone moved between her and her assailant, a figure that she almost didn't recognize even when her eyesight returned. "Natsu?...took you long enough."

The pink haired slayer was now standing before her, his body still bearing the strange black markings from before along with the horns, but now the markings seemed to be glowing with the strange blood red fire that he had been using lately and she could occasionally see a wisp of the flames escaping from his mouth. But despite the feeling of power she could feel coming off her cousin she couldn't see the pillar of fire that normally accompanied his magic activating, giving him an even creepier appearance.

"Sorry 'bout that, I was kind of in crippling pain after all but still managed to get here in time to save your life." Natsu sarcastically replied, his eyes never leaving the confused looking Lucy.

"Well now, this is interesting, I felt the pain of burning but yet Lucy's hands are unharmed…what exactly did you do boy?" Lucy growled out as she flexed her fingers experimentally.

"Don't know and I don't really care!" Natsu shouted as he pointed at the possessed Lucy. "I just know it's something I can use to beat your sorry ass out of my partner so long as I can hit you!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then I will be certain to keep you at arm's length until everything's said and done." Abaddon mocked, causing Natsu's mouth to open wide in shock as he realized that he had in fact given away his plan. But it was then that Alva made a decision, a decision that she was sure that Lucy would be furious with her for later.

"Natsu…" She whispered so quietly that almost no one would be able to hear, unless of course you had draconicly enhanced hearing. "Don't turn your head or Abaddon will notice. I can get you one chance to attack. But if I do, you have to go through with your attack no matter what…say something stupid like you normally do if you understand." She informed, realizing that her fellow dragon slayer had indeed heard her from the growl that escaped from his lips.

"N-Natsu? What are you…?" Alva heard the sky-Child murmured, sounding almost as if she was in a daze.

"No time now Wendy! We need to stop Luce before she breaks the sky! I'll explain everything after, but for now just keep hitting her with everything you've got!" the pink haired slayer commanded, Wendy looking confused beyond belief at Natsu's transformation but complying with his orders.

"Damn it Natsu! What the hell did you screw up now?" Gray shouted as he and Erza unleashed more magical attacks to the same effect as before. But unlike last time Alva held back from rushing in with them, instead focusing on concentrating both her magical and demonic energy into her body like she had only minutes ago. Almost instantly the pain of her blood boiling in her veins assaulted her, the Fel-Fire Accel Blade wasn't like other dragon slayer arts, as in it wasn't an ability that was meant to be used quickly in succession. Using it twice in one day would have repercussions, possibly even leaving her crippled, but Alva didn't care about her body. All that mattered was saving the person who saved her.

And so she watched, waiting until the volume of attacks reached its peak before unleashing her attack, the world once again slowing to a crawl. Alva leapt up, already noticing that Natsu was beginning to move forward, even if it was only at a snail's pace, and even the Abaddon possessed Lucy was beginning to turn in her direction. But it didn't matter what the lord of pride had planned in advance, or what razor sharp shadows stood in her way, Alva would not be stopped. The half dragon barreled through the darkness with abandon, ignoring the thin but deep wounds that slowly accumulated on her arms, before crashing into the black haired mage and latching onto her arms and releasing her magic, returning time to its normal speed and trapping the two of them in a tornado of hellish flames.

Alva watched as Lucy's face went from shock, to confusion, before finally twisting into a smug grin. "Poor, pathetic Alva. Surely you don't think your strength and these flames are enough to hold me back?" Abaddon mocked as the shadows under her feet began to twist.

But before she could take action Alva grinned confidently. "No, but it was enough to distract you." She refuted as a fist of blood red fire passed through her stomach, not damaging her flesh but burning her soul from the inside out.

" **Chaos Fire Dragons…Soul-Rending Flame.** " Natsu growled out from behind Alva as his ethereal fist made contact with his partner. For a brief second the world seemed to freeze around the three figures, Alva's face twisted in pain while Lucy's was staring down at the fiery fist in shock. But the moment of peace soon passed and Lucy screamed in agony while a gasp of pain escaped from Alva's lips before she collapsed backwards into Natsu. Lucy continued to cry out in pain as the flames roared around her form until she looked more like a miniature bonfire than a human being. But unlike Natsu's normal flames this fire didn't consume her flesh and leave her horribly burned, but rather it burned the soul of its victim, and with a particularly powerful soul in control of the celestial spirit mage Natsu could easily tell which of the two was his target.

For a few tense seconds nothing changed, everyone present watching the human pyre while a dragon roared in the distance, but with a sound similar to something being torn apart two who were one were finally separated, Abaddon being sent flying from Lucy's back while the formerly possessed mage's features reverted to her normal colors before she began to collapse, Natsu rushing forward to catch her before she fell.

Abaddon for his part was sent sliding backwards, the only sign that he had taken any damage being the slight trickle of blood that escaped from the corner of his grinning lips. "Well now…this is an interesting twist. I would have never imagined someone as inept and foolish as you would be capable of burning just my soul. I would tip my hat to you if I was wearing one."

"Hell ya! Not so tough now are ya!" Natsu taunted as he glanced between his partner and the white suited demon, trying to decide whether or not he should keep going after the bastard or keep Lucy safe.

"Indeed, it's just such a shame that your attack came only a moment too late." Abaddon continued to taunt as he stood up and dusted off his shoulders. Natsu was about to ask what the hell he was talking about, but before he could utter a single syllable the sound of shattering glass echoed loudly through the plains, the sound so loud that Natsu nearly dropped his still unconscious partner in surprise.

As Abaddon looked up Natsu followed the demons gaze only to see that where there had once been the strange glass-like cracks that were crossing the sky there was now a large black hole surrounded by a pure white magic circle. But the newly created sky hole wasn't what really drew his attention.

As emerging from the massive gate was what could only be described as a swarm of dragons, and at the forefront was one particular dragon that Natsu would never forget.

"P-Pops?!" Natsu all but screamed as the king of fire dragons swooped down over the battlefield, releasing a roar that was quickly answered by Acnologia before all the dragons began to move away, Natsu praying that they were after the black dragon how had caused their current predicament.

"Well now, this is a surprise. I didn't imagine that the dragons were waiting for the gate to open. Did Igneel organize this…or perhaps this is Lucina's doing." Abaddon thought out loud as he gazed longingly at the hole in the world before shaking his head slowly. "No, in the end it does not matter. Within that darkness my daughter is waiting for me." And before anyone could make sense of the situation Abaddon turned and bowed to the still unconscious Lucy, his hand over his heart and his eyes closed in reverence. "Milady Lucy; as of now I declare our pact complemented and I hereby take the opportunity your magic has granted me as payment for my power…until next time." And with that the Lord of Pride's body transformed into a living shadow before flying off into the sky and into the hole that bridged the two worlds.

Natsu couldn't help but work his jaw in silence as he tried to make sense of what was happening, the voice of Zeref drew his attention. "…he won't be able to find her, no matter how hard he searches. While I might have summoned her only to make use of her bloodline, overtime my feelings changed. She was prideful, unbearably so, but she was also insightful and kind when it mattered. When I finally reached the point where I could finally attempt to perform the spell I had spent over a hundred years researching she volunteered her own existence as a catalyst, and despite the love we felt for each other I reluctantly agreed. And while I may have succeeded in what I set out to do, the damage to the world and the loss of Lilim brought me to the depths of despair." Zeref muttered before turning his eyes on Natsu, smiling slightly at how the fire dragon slayer shifted slightly to make sure that Zeref couldn't get to her. "That's why I'm so happy to see you found the one thing I could never give you Natsu, someone to share your life with."

Natsu glared at the world's most famous dark mage, intending to yell at the bastard how they were nothing alike, but the sound of Lucy moaning drew his attention. His eyes whipping downward just in time to see the blondes eyes flutter open, her face a grimace of pain.

"N-Natsu…?" she stuttered as she reached out with a shaky hand for Natsu, the pink haired slayer gently grabbing her hand and smiling down at her.

"Heya Luce, sorry it took me so long to save you but I had to get that bastard demon guy out of you without hurting you again. If you want to sing my praises later I won't stop you." Natsu joked, Lucy laughing for a second before grimacing in pain.

"Sorry Natsu, you'll have to take a rain check on that… I don't think that I'm going to make it off of this battlefield." The blonde mage returned before sighing heavily, Natsu tensing and holding her tighter at her horrifying omission.

"Wha-what the hell Luce, don't talk like that! We got that guy out of you so you'll be fine." Natsu refuted almost angrily before someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Natsu…she doesn't have long left." The pink haired slayer heard Alva declare from behind him, her voice containing an edge that he couldn't quite identify.

"What the hell are you…?" Natsu started to hiss has he turned to glare at the fellow slayer, but stopped when he saw the twin streams of tears traveling down her cheeks. Natsu had never even seen the half dragon reveal anything other than slight annoyance but here she was, crying in full view of everyone. And that alone was more than enough to conjure a block of ice in his stomach.

"Abaddon…Abaddon was the one keeping her alive." Alva sniffled as she stared down at the most important person in her life. "Without him her heart…" but she couldn't continue anymore, collapsing to her knees by Lucy's side.

"Sorry Alva. Looks like I'll be moving on first." Lucy apologized faintly before turning her attention back on her partner. As much as Natsu didn't want to acknowledge it, he could see that Lucy's skin was rapidly palling, almost to the point of being see through, and the light in her eyes was clearly fading."N-Natsu…I…I need to tell you something before it's too late."

"Hey, common Luce. There's…you shouldn't talk like that. Your gonna be fine, I promise." Natsu replied as he tried to keep a smile on his face despite the cold cruel truth that was dawning on him.

But Lucy remained unconvinced, gently moving their linked hands onto Natsu's cheek while tears of her own began to form in the corners of her eyes. "Natsu, I'm so sorry. Hated you for so long, thinking that you hated me for something…but at the same time I felt something else for you. You, the dumb pyromaniac who pulled me the fear of being found by my father and brought me into the first true family that I have ever had since my mom died."

"Luce…come on Luce, don't…" Natsu tried to get her to stop, still not willing to accept the truth, but Lucy continued on using the last of her strength to finally say what she had wanted to say since that faithful night.

"Natsu…I love you. I probably have since the day you saved me in Hargeon." Lucy admitted as she tried to smile as brightly as possible, the tears now escaping from her eyes. "I just wish…that we could have…had another…adventure." And with that final sentence Lucy's eyes slowly closed, the various dragon slayers across the battlefield all hearing a final beat of a heart.

Natsu's breathing hitched as Lucy's hand went limp in his, the heat that had suffused her body only seconds ago rushing out of her form and stealing Natsu's at the same time, leaving their surroundings even colder than the top of mount Hakobe. "Luce? Hey no…no, no, no…d-don't do this to me. You can't just say that and not give me the chance to answer you." Natsu complained as his voice shook with barely repressed emotions, the fire dragon slayer ignoring the pained wails that were echoing from around him as he tried to gently shake his partner awake. "If you leave now I can't take you on anymore adventures." He muttered as he lowered his head, his shoulders trembling with tears now traveling down his cheeks.

"Luce… LLLUUUCCCEE!" The dragon slayer screamed into the air, the only response to his sorrow being the distant roar of dragons battling.

* * *

Lucina walked through her palace with a spring in her step despite the sounds of raised voices shouting in anger along with explosions. While she wasn't exactly pleased with the thought of cleaning off the soot and ash that would now cover the entry hall but at the same time she could understand the Prince's impatience with the situation, her own happiness nearly causing her to giggle like a girl on her first date.

But that happiness wasn't present on her face when she turned the corner to see the prince of fire dragons pounding her guards into the ground, his body covered in flames as he barreled deeper into the castle. "You will cease this disturbance now Dragneel, unless you wish me to inform your father of how you have attacked the palace of one of the Divinities." She warned in a strict tone.

The man who had been assaulting her guards stopped immediately, his black eyes turning to glare at her for a moment before he dropped the poor man who was in his grasp. "Ha! You really think the old man scares me now after all these years? Keep dreaming." The Prince replied despite the fact that both parties understood that after the Punishment he had received after the war ended had likely left him scarred for the rest of his life.

"Yes well, with or without you attacking my men I would still allow you entry. So if you're done with your little exercise routine would you please follow me? Unless you prefer to remain out here and collect yourself before hand? I completely understand if you are unprepared for this after all." She mocked, the Prince growling lightly before brushing past her, Lucina giggling lightly before following after the moody man.

The two walked in silence for a minute or so, Lucina taking the lead as they maneuvered through the hallways, before the Prince turned to glare at her. "Was your letter true? Did you really find her?"

"Of course, Prince Dragneel. I am one of the Divinities after all." Lucina replied without a hint of hesitation. "She was discovered deep within the lands of one of my fellows, living a quiet life in a small human community. I only noticed her because of the unique magical signature she gave off, much weaker than I remember but still just as interesting as always."

Lucina didn't notice at first when the Prince ground to a halt, his eyes wide as he stared at the ground. "Finally…we finally found her."

"Yes we did…although, pardon me for asking, but weren't you supposed to wait for your cousin before coming here? It's hardly an issue to find her as she should be somewhere in the surrounding lands searching after all. Did you two not come to an agreement on how you would first see her again? And do you not have comrades who requested to be present as well" Lucina questioned, enjoying the way the Prince flinched at the mere mention of his half sibling.

"R-right that…well, I'm sure she'll understand." The Prince explained before studying the nearby wall in detail. "And as far as the others go they're out on a job back in Earthland so I can't exactly get a message back all that easy, though I'm sure they'll hear about it from Happy before too long."

The two continued through the palace until they reached a massive golden door, the destination that the prince had been both dreading and excited beyond compare to see. But before he could even reach for the handle of the door Lucina placed a hand on his arm, her face serious once again.

"Wait a moment Prince. There's something I need to inform you of before I allow you to see her." She explained, waiting for the Prince to nod before she continued. "You have to understand that after losing her powers so completely that her soul wasn't able to make the journey to our lands completely unscathed…I can't guarantee that she will remember you or any of your companions."

"What?"

"It would have been different if she had accepted the Celestial Spirit King's offer to reincarnate her as a spirit, as that would have purified her soul, but because she chose to be sent and judged here her soul retained the sins of the pacts." Lucina explained sadly as she gazed at the door.

"Then why the hell did she…" The Prince started to complain before the truth dawned on him.

"That's right, had she turned into a spirit time would have passed much slower for her. By the time she would have met you again you would be nothing more than a pile of old bones." The Divinity explained before smiling up at the dragon slayer. "Perhaps she understood that this would be the quickest way of meeting up with her family again. Or maybe it was a final boon from the Lord of Pride, but for whatever reason she chose to move on to our world. And so I have to warn you, I will not allow you to take your anger out on her if she cannot recall you, she has earned her peace after all."

"Don't insult me, as if I would do anything to her." The Prince growled back, the two glaring into each other's eyes for a moment before Lucina finally nodded in satisfaction before stepping away, The Prince taking on final deep breath before slowly opening the door.

The inside was fairly dark, although the lack of light hardly bothered the Prince, with only the light of the sun pouring through the window providing any illumination. The room was adequate for a guest room, with a bed, dresser, and desk sitting in various corners of the room. But the décor wasn't what drew and held the Prince's gaze.

In the center of the room, sitting on a chair with a book in her hands, was a blonde haired woman. She sat calmly, her warm brown eyes slowly moving back and forth as she absorbed the information before her. In her open hand she gently played with a golden key, a key that the Prince would never forget.

 _She's…different._ The Prince thought with a surprising level of calmness as he studied the woman. While she had most certainly been beautiful the last time he had seen her, every ounce of her teenage form had faded from her body, giving her an almost ethereal level of beauty. She was not wearing the skirt or tank top as she did in the Prince's memories, and was dressed in a pure white dress that, if anything, only added to the surrealness of the situation.

But the Princes time for observing the woman were past, as the moment the door closed the woman's intelligent brown eyes rose from the book to stare at him, her eyes widening slightly before a slight gasph escaped from her lips. While the Prince was slightly disappointed with her reaction he wasn't disturbed by it, he understood that his horns and black markings could be intimidating to those who weren't quite used to it after all, an aspect of his new appearance that he had long ago grown used to.

"Sorry, did I disturb you?" The Prince apologized as he took a step closer to the light, not wanting to cause the woman anymore unrest if he could help it.

"No, no. I'm sorry, I just wasn't aware that I wasn't alone anymore." The woman apologized as she closed the book and smiled up at him. "Lady Divinity told me when she brought me here that I should expect others to come to meet me…are you one of those people?"

"I…suppose I am." The Prince continued as he took one more step forward and glanced down at the key in her hand. "That is quite the interesting piece of metal if you don't mind me saying. Would you mind telling me where you found it?"

The woman blinked slowly, apparently not expecting the question, before grinning almost childlike and gazing warmly down at said key. "Thank you for the compliment, but I didn't find it. It's been with me since the day I woke up here in Underworld. The elders in my village said that it is something known as a celestial key and while it has no power in this world, as we lack the stars to power them, holding this key always made me feel warm inside." She explained as she reached over to the desk to reveal a key ring with other gold and silver keys. "I have others if you would like to see them?"

"No, that's alright." The Prince replied, the feeling of hopelessness growing inside his stomach as he tried desperately to think of another conversation topic. And as he glanced at the hand that held the keys he saw his chance, a wide grin breaking out over his face as he took yet another step closer. "That marking on your hand…"

The girls smile faltered as she gazed down at the strange pink symbol on her skin. "Oh this? I'm…not quite sure what this is. It's been on my hand for as long as I can remember but no matter how hard I think back I can't recall much about it, only that the color makes my heart hurt with loneliness every time I look at it."

The two were silent for a moment before the Prince finally worked up the courage to continue. "I know what that symbol means…would you like me to tell you?" He offered, waiting for the woman to get past her shock and nod vigorously before continuing. "It's a symbol of Fairy Tail."

"fairy tale? Like a bedtime story?"

"well…kinda. You see, to a select few people in this world, that symbol represents a question. "Do fairies have tails?" An old man once told me that the question represents a never ending adventure."

"Never ending adventure…" The woman repeated, her gaze taking on an almost far off look as she muttered the phrase.

"Right, whether that adventure took the form of stealing a will in the form of a book from someone, or fighting against ancient moving cities. Its presence marks an individual as someone who will always seek out adventure."

The woman flinched in pain as she placed a hand on her forehead, taking a step back from the prince out of reflex. "I-I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling too good right now. Would you mind if we continued this later?" she offered but the Prince ignored her, taking another step forward until he was just a single step away from the light in the room.

"But there's one more thing, something much more important, that the Fairy Tail symbol represents…a family." The Prince continued on, the woman's eyes going wide as she sucked in yet another breath. "Fairy Tail is a family, not bound by blood but by bond. They suffer together, smile together, and will never stop looking out for one of their own. Even, hypothetically speaking, if an angry and stupid dragon hurt his princess and lost her for awhile. That dragon would stop at nothing to find her again, if only to make her smile one last time."

The two were silent for what seemed like an eternity before the woman's hand fell from her head, her lips silently mouthing a name that had been in the back of her mind since she had woken up all those years ago. A name that had brought her no small measure of comfort over the long and lonely nights. "…Natsu?" Lucy breathlessly called out, her keys exploding into golden light to illuminate the pink haired slayer who had fully stepped into the beam of sunlight, the massive childlike grin on his face a stark contrast to the maturity he had been giving off only moments ago.

"Heya Luce, ready for that adventure I promised you?"

 **And there we go. Like i said at the top I'm really sorry about how long it took to write this. (within the span of a few weeks i lost a close family member, had to move, and needed to seriously reconsider my major after failing a class.) Plus with the general stress of the holidays i just couldn't get the time to write. and even when i did i just couldn't write an ending that i was really happy with. I wrote so many different versions of this chapter that if i were to post them all it would make the chapter over 40k words long. i had endings where Abaddon's daughter showed up in the end, endings were Lucy remained dead and lost forever, and when i finally narrowed it down to two (The one you just read and one where Alva and Natsu each gave up half of their heart in order to save her) and finally got the time to write my computer decided it was time to die and i lost everything i had been working on.**

 **so once again i would just like to apologize for the delays.**

 **If you are someone who reads one of my other stories then i would just like to say that i will try hard to get out a chapter before Christmas but i cant make any guarantees at this point though i will try to get back onto a regular writing schedule again. as far as if I will start another work after this one i do have some ideas for a new Fairy Tail story but for now just want to focus on the ones i already started.**

 **So on that note thank you everyone for reading my story, until next time**


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